Make Him Give Up
by eirinatakebana
Summary: Discontinued. No more chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**It belongs to Tomo Takabayashi**

**This fanfiction is for entertainment. No money made from it.**

**I. First Step**

_**Sickness**_

The day was filled with sadness and anger. Wolfram made way to a stone bench, and sat all his weight down, exhausted. Shoulders slouching, hands hanging between his open knees, he stared at the dark grass, allowing his body to get the much deserved rest. His sword stood against the bench, its tip dampening into the mud.

He had full filled his daily duty for today, even exceeding the usual number of hours he devoted to this. His heart, swollen with pain, was beating at a fast rythm, linked to his endless anxiety. To remain far away from the castle, and from Yuuri, was what he'd aimed at, by spending the whole day in his training field.

Sweat was rolling down his perfect nose and tiredness made his eyelids flutter with the constant effort to remain awake. His body had been fighting all day long with an uneven temperature; Wolfram either shook, out of a chill sensation, or out of heat. Nonetheless, his thoughts remained focused on one man. A man that he loathed and felt the deepest attachment for at the same time; and this was so painful. So extremely painful.

He heard someone approaching, which kind of forced Wolfram to stop thinking of Yuuri.

"My Lord, please, drink," Wolfram tilted his head, only to see one of his most trusted soldiers, Holger. He was handing out a leather gourd. "You've trained a lot today."

"Thank you." The young ex-prince took it and gulped first with the intention of drinking a few drops, before his thirsty and burning body urged him to slurp the whole content. The soldier eyed his master with worry; their commandant looked different from usual:

"Shall I tell the others to prepare our way back?"

"No," Wolfram answered, way more aggressively than he'd intended. Damn. He didn't want his earlier row with Yuuri to trample on his job as a military man. He desired more than everything to be able to control himself, to keep his cool...even if his heart was dying inside. "Let's wait an hour before going back to the castle."

_Why? Why am I so weak? _

"But my lord..."the soldier glanced at the darkening sky: "rain is coming...and the temperature has...gotten very low...Besides," his voice started to weaken: "You look sic-"

Wolfram shot him a stare. The intensity of it influenced the man to keep his mouth shut; lord von Bielefeld could be quite scaring. The soldier stammered, bowed and walked back to his comrades.

_He's right. It's cold...And I should not let my private matters ruin my soldiers' health. A good commandant must take care of those trusted in his hands, first and foremost. _

He swallowed the big lump that had blocked in his throat. His hands were shaking at the thought of going home. To meet_ him_ in the corridors put his mind in turmoil. They had left each other in such a bad blood that Wolfram wasn't even sure that Yuuri would want to see him either.

For the first time since he'd met Yuuri, Wolfram felt that both of them were really close to cancel their engagement. _For real. _The simple pronunciation of this made his heart beat as though he was standing on the edge of a cliff. He held his face in his hands, barely acknowledging the sweat gathering in his slippery palms. This nervousness was going to kill him! And his headache wouldn't stop.

"Holger!" Wolfram said.

The soldier, who had brought him the bottle, turned around from his group and trotted back to him.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Tell the others to pick up their stuff. We're heading back to the castle."

"Yes, my lord."

The return to the castle, on horse, was not void of pain. Wolfram wanted to throw up. Certainly, walking while his body felt so heavy didn' look like a good alternative either. He sniffed a sip of air, relieving in the soothing sensation that the extra take of oxygen gave him, and tightened his fists around the reins. He felt cold. As he focused on his ride, Wolfram didn't notice the worried looks from his soldiers.

The castle came in view after a while; guards were patrolling and watching around as usual. Wolfram looked up. His vision blurred while his heartbeat slowed. Was the rain so strong that...?

The last thing he heard was the voice of men crying his name. Among which, his soldiers' and Conrad's.

XXX

Voices. Buzzing around him. Hits on the head.

A moan escaped Wolfram's dry lips. He felt very soft lips kissing his forehead. The perfume was unmistakable.

"Mother..."

"Wolf? You're awake? Oh thank you Shinou! You scared us!"

In his painful state, the constant headache and slight nausea, Wolfram's vision was blurred. He was trying to recognize the people around that his eyes could not make out of the silhouettes fussing about him.

"Wolfram, can you hear us?"

Speaking felt like someone was scratching the inside of his throat. His eyebrows frowned as deeply they could.

"Y-yeah...?" Gisela had asked him the question and now, she was probably putting another humid towel on his forehead.

"You're feverish, Wolfram. Did you feel like this in the morning, too?"

"Wh-where am I?"

"In your bedroom."

_Mine. Not Yuuri's. Not ours, I suppose. _

"Did you, Wolfram?"

"Kind of."

"Wolf! You should have listened to your body instead of going to work, today," his mother nagged, but gently as she always did with her last son.

"Papa, do you want to drink something?"

"Greta? Water, please..." Soon after, someone softly pushed a glass filled with fresh water against his lips. Wolfram was under the impression to get back to life as the cool beverage traversed his throat. However, the weakness of his body prevented the ex-prince from holding the glass longer, or even from raising his neck. Moreover, whatever comfort water had brought was soon annihilated by his sickness. This felt like someone was pressing on his forehead constantly, and clenching his lungs.

"You may have a food intoxication coupled with exhaustion from over-working."

"I don't remember having eaten something bad..."

"Or maybe you've been working too much and have put too much stress on yourself. Moreover, it seems you lack sleep. No wonder, Wolfram, that your body couldn't take it."

"I've been fine," Wolfram grumbled, irritated at hearing those legitimate reproaches. Still, he was too tired and in pain to retort with bitterness. A sudden cough propelled him nearly sitting up, his lungs expelling the most violent shock ever. He could scarcely make out of the half-dozen voices saying his name in deep worry, hands patting his back in a soothing manner. As if air was leaving his body, Wolfram fell back on his mattress, out of breath.

"I think only his majesty Yuuri can bring-"

"N-no," Wolfram murmured, feverish "don't."

If he had been able to see well, the ex-prince would have caught his brothers exchanging a sad, perplexed glance. Their brother and Yuuri's relationship had fallen until a hopeless pit; Conrad and Gwendal were aware of that. These last few days, Yuuri and Wolfram had had the nastiest arguments that the whole castle had ever heard from the _royal __couple_. For Conrad, it was the first time he'd ever seen Yuuri having such a hateful look when talking about Wolfram. First time he had seen so much anger, resentment and violence in the black eyes. Conrad himself felt perturbed. It seemed that Wolf's flaws were magnified to the point they were the only things the king could see from his fiancé. No wonder Yuuri had decided to leave some time to cool down on Earth with his friends, "to enjoy a true free time as a real Human, with friends and girls!". Of course, Wolfram hadn't been aware of such a plan. And if he had, Conrad thought with sorrow, what could the blond have done? At that point, Yuuri wouldn't have even been able to hear another "You cheater" from Wolfram. Maybe he would have hit something, or even Wolfram. This was no good.

Conrad let out a long sigh, unconsciously trying to release some nervousness. Raking his brown mane with his hand, he kept his eyes on his poor brother. Their mother and Greta were giving him medicine but the pallor of his cheeks were alarming.

Yes, it was definitely for the best for Yuuri to have taken some days off on Earth. Perhaps would he reflect better on solutions to heal his breached relationship with Wolfram. Something, though, seemed to have broken between them too deeply. More than he could admit it to himself, Conrad could feel worry gnaw at his heart at this thought. He knew how much Wolf felt for Yuuri; the new king had become the world for Wolfram. Now matter how calm the blond may appear in front of others, his issues with Yuuri tormented his soul and his spirit.

And yet, yet for the first time, for a few days, Conrad had perceived that his brother might have started to consider to give up on Yuuri. He had been able to see it upon catching the deep sadness and weariness flowing the green eyes. Wolfram was emotional, even though he tried his best not to show it. But now, he too had reached a breaking point. He couldn't take it any longer, mentally, physically; he was so used. How could he cope with his broken friendship with Yuuri, from now on?

"He's fallen asleep," Gisela said quietly. "We should leave him alone." His state had stabilized, in all appearance.

"I'll stay with him," Celi said without tearing her worried eyes away from the languid and fragilized silhouette of her third son. "I'll watch over him."

"Can we tell papa Yuuri about Wolfram?" Greta asked, her small hand encircling Wolf's with all the affection she had for him. "I know he doesn't want him to hear about him. But I'm sure Yuuri would never want to see Wolfram so sick!"

"We will send him a message," Gwendal announced. He looked as though he had other things in mind, eyebrows jointed together in a deep frown, but his lips remained shut. He gave a last glance at his brother before turning away and leaving without a sound.

**XXX**

**TBC. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou!**

**No money made from this fanfiction. **

**Warning? Smoking (cigarette) and drinking. Yuuri's age also changed: he's 20 years old in this fanfiction. **

**THANKS a lot to the reviewers: Guest, Rini and westkitsune. **

**II. Dancing**

**_Don't turn away at midnight. _**

XXX

This was probably Yuuri's first night in a nightclub. Mikari, one of his friends, had thought it a good idea to drag the usually nice boy over there. The music drummed hard into the king's ears.

But here, he didn't feel like a king. He was no king. He felt... _normal_. The young of his age frequented this type of places, as a normal and legitimate part of their life, without questioning whether they were out of place. Yuuri was no different from them, his voice screamed as his fists clenched so narrowly that he could have bled. He just so wished to blend in, _to fit in, to be like them_. His eyes took in the dozens lights alternating as dancing silhouettes appeared evanescent, cut, broken, yet still so lively. He could feel skin and hair around grazing his own body.

With all the noise, the smells around, Yuuri wondered where to look at, where to start. In the dancing part of the nightclub? He'd never really danced. He didn't know...how to move, and yet, his body longed for imitating everyone else.

"Yuuri, my buddy," Mikari came back, but his hands full. Yuuri spotted two cocktails in his hands. "For you !"

"What's this?"

"Shh, just drink that, okay ? You came here to have fun, didn't you ? Here ! Try !"

Without warning, Mikari emptied his own cocktail in a few gulps.

And as though what he had in hand was a glass of water, Yuuri swallowed the cocktail in one-go.

He started to see two Mikari, two laughing Mikari at that, the dancing around oddly became wilder or slower (he didn't really know) and his mind seemed alleviated. Or was it just an impression?

His head, though, already felt heavy. This amount of alcohol was completely new to him.

"Your name?" Yuuri heard at his right, soft lips caressing his ear.

A woman, she smelt good. Berries and vanilla.

"Yuuri," Yuuri answered, turning to face the woman. She was tall, probably a Japanese model. He'd never seen such red lips before and such long hair. Jet black hair, like his.

"Wanna dance with Hana?" she pulled at his hand, making Yuuri jerk forward among other dancers. The techno music kept blasting in his ears.

"Who's Hana?" Yuuri managed to ask, blinking his eyes.

She laughed, throwing her head backwards, displaying her long white neck. Yuuri couldn't take his eyes off of it, realising with certainty that his body's temperature reached new levels. He swallowed.

"Me, idiot."

"Well, could have told me first," he said with a chuckle of his own. She placed Yuuri's hands on her hips, locked her arms around Yuuri's neck and then, delicately started to move. Yuuri felt his courage increasing; he led the dance a few seconds after letting her doing it. Her lips drew a flattered smile; she liked Yuuri's initiative. I must be bold, Yuuri thought hard, bold. Someone talking to him, flirting with him. An extremely beautiful and fairly attractive woman on top of that.

"I've never seen you there," she said. "Where do you come from?"

"Tokyo."

"Odd, first time here, I suppose? You totally look like a newer."

"Yeah, kind of."

Her eyes shone with mischievousness.

"Aw, really? Then, you've got a LOT of things to learn. Among which, how to have fun."

This whole thing felt utterly unfamiliar to Yuuri. He felt nothing for her but she sure tempted him and made him curious. He just wanted a change. He looked at her closely, despite his already foggy mind. She was still smiling, her red lips shining from the last beverage she'd taken. She showed no sign of shyness. She didn't know he was a king. This short and tight red dress she sported made Yuuri look over her bare legs. She was alluring. He gently pushed her body against his and whispered in her ear with the gravest voice ever, not even thinking he could have it. He sensed the shivers of delight he sent her.

"I'm dying to see what you can teach me."

"Are you sure this is your first time here?" She asked with a slight greed and a lot of amusement in her dark gaze.

"Yeah..." his slightly better mood went back to a gloomier state. "I'm used to more...solemn and old-game parties."

"Ooh, so you're a kind of a good guy from a good family. Felt too uptight and cornered, so now...you feel like you've missed something and you need to rebel a little."

Right on the spot. Yuuri's gaze darkened, under hooded lids. He was twenty years old now...and a teenagehood crisis felt a bit stupid at this age (and surely too late). But something within ached so much, that now he had to release every frustration he had so long contained. Otherwise, he knew he would snap.

"Not totally. Just want a change."

"We can start now, if you want."

"How?" Yuuri asked, calmly, but with genuine surprise.

"You have to experience things on your own...What I did was observe people, first. Then I tried to do the same things they did, but of course, some of those things were stupid. This is when you learn if something is good to you or not. And...Sometimes, unfortunately you just stick to bad habits, too."

She pulled back and took out from her small bag, a pack of cigarettes. "I know, I know...Smoking is bad, but I still do it from time to time," she sighed then eyed Yuuri: "Have you already smoked?"

Yuuri considered the question, and the item. His mind was still sort of puzzled and hazy from the cocktail. Dang, alcohol was strong.

"No...but I'd like to try."

He knew he shouldn't do it. It was just a way to satisfy his curiousness...and to flip the finger at his royal education.

She smiled a wicked smile, and pushed him out of the nightclub. They stayed by the façade, with the techno music escaping from the big iron door, people getting in and out of the nightclub, the sound and lights of cars in the street as background. She lit one cigarette, took a puff and then handed it to Yuuri. Yuuri coughed hard, but then, the game seemed easier. He crossed his right arm on his waist, the left hanging along his side, left hand holding the cigarette.

"I come from some rich family, too," Hana said, studying Yuuri. She noticed he had become pensive. "Guys like you have gotten quite rare, nowadays."

Yuuri addressed her a smile, his gaze lost on the floor.

"Guys like me?"

"Nice boys. You're like 20, aren't you?"

"Around."

"And this is the first time you enjoy nights like this? You still have this honest, pure thing going on about you. I've noticed it."

Yuuri leaned against the wall, back meeting the cool iron material of the nightclub façade. He took in a long breath from his cigarette.

"I'm pretty sure there are tons of guys who don't party either," he replied without looking at her. "In my...parties, like balls, I've seen things, don't worry."

"Balls," she laughed, taking another cigarette from her pack. "So you're really like some kind of hidden or secret noble dude discovering the world. You're a funny young man."

"Eh...I don't think I'm that different from other people, or even from you."

She laughed softly:

"Do you have a girlfriend, Yuuri?"

Yuuri's brain turned on, full-mode:

"No."

_No...No...I don't have anyone. This engagement is just a joke. Now. _

"A handsome guy, like you? No girlfriend? That's suspicious. Though with your education I can figure it out how difficult it must be to date someone."

_You mean, my situation. No one is in it. _

"What about you? And your own parties? How does the jet-set have fun?" Yuuri's smile had vanished, his voice so deep and serious that it seemed he turned into someone else. Hana was mesmerized. But mesmerized like you are in front of another species, a special object of study.

"How you expect it," she said, "no different from yours. If I invited you, you wouldn't feel out of place, I believe.».

Yuuri stared at her, expressionless. He kept smoking. She tried to engage him into another conversation but the more she talked, the quieter Yuuri was getting. In fact, he felt weird: part of his body was still under the influence of alcohol, the other part trying to remained under control. Was it how he really was, as a person, as a man? Or was it his education as a king that forced him not to lose control? He cursed. Why couldn't he be a damn fool who would dance like there was no tomorrow? Why did he have to stay so dignified, uptight as Hana said while he could party like Mikari, without worry or self-consciousness? Why was he not free?

Hana, he eyed her.

Why wasn't he able to grab her, kiss her hard, have her slender body pressed against the façade, between his own body and the wall?

_Wolfram._

He frowned, his features altering with anger.

_Fuck you_.

"Let's go back," Yuuri said. "I'm thirsty."

"Okay.

She held his hand as they made their way back inside the nightclub. He tightened his fingers around hers. As a couple, they were quite convincing.

"You looked very pensive, as if you have something weighing on your mind," she said out loud as the music threatened to cover her voice. He smirked.

"I was thinking of an assholish friend of mine. Well, 'friend'. If we could say that."

Hana offered a sympathetic glance and a smile, as she dragged him back among dancing people:

"I know that. I've had my own share of assholes and hypocrites as friends. Don't think about him, he's probably not worth it."

This was like magic. Her words resonated in his mind. _He_ was everything he hated: jealous, short-tempered, selfish, arrogant, loud, angry, discriminatory, possessive, violent, intolerant, aggressive, controlling...

"Surely," he said after some seconds, but she didn't hear him.

Some ballad songs started to fill the room. Hana, her lips drawing a gentle smile, took Yuuri's hands in hers. She slowly began a few moves. The way she swang her hips, opened her arms to get Yuuri closer to her, and mostly looked into Yuuri's eyes-that intense, black stare of hers-was leaving Yuuri completely under her control. Hypnotized by this feminine presence that he'd so long thought forbidden to him, he couldn't take his eyes away from her. His own body reacted to her promiscuity. Hana noticed her effect on Yuuri : she slid even closer, her hips slightly brushing against his.

They danced for a good while, and Mikari got Yuuri shots after shots. The young man wasn't even aware of what he was doing. After a while, Yuuri went to the toilets, feet unstable, shaking and with a terrible nausea.

He probably went too far, for his first time.

Yuuri plodded towards the marble washbasin. He rinsed himself with cold water in the hope of gaining back some control and consciousness. Ouch, alcohol was something he'd underestimated! He just wished now he had refused the last drinks Mikari had specially bought to him. Saliva ran down his mouth. He wiped his lips with a limping hand.

As he remained motionless, hands flattened against the edge of the washbasin, a whirl of water started to spin in the marble sink. Some seconds only sufficed for the whirling water to fill the basin. Before receiving a big unintentional blow from the person who rose from the water, Yuuri promptly stepped back, his shoulder blades meeting the toilet cabinet door behind him. In front of his amazed eyes, Conrad appeared, dressed as an Earth human civil and looking as surprised (yet also relieved) at finding Yuuri, so easily.

"C-Conrad?" Yuuri blinked several times to be sure he wasn't swimming in some kind of weird dreams. His godfather smiled, but all his face, his frown indicated worry. Yuuri remained utterly puzzled by this sudden arrival that he hadn't...wanted at all.

Conrad kept a dainty smile. With gentleness he came closer to his king. But Yuuri's reaction surprised him: the black-eyed young man just stepped back again, with clear mistrust on his face.

"Your highness... I'm glad to see you. How have you been?"

Yuuri gaped and couldn't furnish any coherent answer.

"Your highness, where is it?" Conrad looked at the door. The loud music behind told him they were certainly not at the Shibuyas' home.

"A-a nightclub..."

At that, Conrad raised an eyebrow. Then his nostrils detected a very specific smell:

"Did you drink, your majesty?"

Yuuri averted his eyes, the blush spreading on his cheeks way more revealing than his mouth.

Conrad slowly nodded:

"I see-"

"Why did you come here?" Yuuri asked, with a sudden tone that Conrad would not usually associate with Yuuri. "I said I wanted some vacation," he continued, fist clenched. "Why did you follow me? I didn't expect anyone from Shin Makoku to come here."

"I know, your majesty, and I'm sorry for bothering you right now. I just had a bad news to tell you," Conrad took in a deep breath: "Wolfram has...fallen sick. We don't know how but his health has been quite worrisome for a few days. He hasn't gotten out of bed for a while, in fact."

Yuuri lifted his head in a slow move. He stared at his godfather in silence but with heavy breaths. Yuuri's eyes reflected surprise and worry, as Conrad expected it. He didn't expect, though, to see Yuuri turn away, shrugging:

"Another plan for your brother to make me feel guilty, as it is..."

"Your majesty, I don't think-"

"I said I didn't want to be bothered," Yuuri's eyes took in a very dark hue; the Maou within him was flaring up his most negative emotions. "Why can't any of you understand this? Allow me to be more than 'Yuuri the king'. _It is not too much to ask from you, I believe_."

"I know, Yuuri, but Wolfram-

"Wolfram can be sick all he wants, that's none of my business. Don't we have doctors over there? Or should I always regulate my life by what he wants?!"

The godfather and the godson exchanged a long stare where one expressed the utmost stupefaction and the other, deep anger and coldness. Yuuri's words were blurted out quicker than his brain, his reason would have advised so. The disturbance that Conrad's arrival had caused, erased any rationality he had once learned to have and to put into practice in similar circumstances.

With daggers in his eyes as he glared at his godfather, Yuuri pushed the door open and went back to the room. Conrad slowly gathered his spirits. He walked towards the door, opened it and scanned the dancing crowd. Among other young people, Yuuri was being hugged by a mysterious girl, as if she was comforting him. The way Yuuri responded to her cuddle could only prove to Conrad how fed up his king was with his royal title, his duties, and most importantly, with Wolfram.

_**XXX**_

**TBC. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kyou Kara Maou!**

**Not my property. No money made from this fanfiction.**

**Thank you very much, reviewers: hime786, FirePrinceWolf, Nickesha, Belldandy55555, Androsama, rini (thank you for having reviewed again this fic), SweetHeaven and to all the Guest reviewers. **

**WARNING: a little bit of nudity and some light sex-talk. **

**III. Waltz of Thoughts**

_**Illusions**_

**XXX **

The morning was difficult. Yuuri's hangover let him wake with an annoying headache and a body so heavy he could barely support himself on his elbows. He looked around, dumbfounded. Mikari's studio. He heard a moan at his left and he turned around.

A girl. A half-naked girl. A girl sleeping just beside him.

Yuuri blinked. How in hell had he landed beside a girl?

_Oh, no don't tell me I've slept with her, I can't even remember it! _His mind screamed in turmoil as he checked his own body._ No, I probably didn't, I have all my clothes __on__ and my trousers are zipped!_

The bathroom's door opened and a fresh Mikari, with a towel knotted around his hips, got out. His lips drew a half-sarcastic, half-amused smile:

"Don't worry she was my night-stand, not yours. While she and I were fucking like bunnies, you were sleeping, half-dead, on my futon."

Mikari didn't expect to see Yuuri's face expressing the biggest stun ever, eyes and mouth wide open, face livid. He laughed out loud:

"Don't worry, Yuuri! Your chastity is still preserved! We were all drunk and you passed out as soon as you met the bed! Mmh but she and I, mh, we got such a good time,"he added, eyebrows shrugging and lips drawing a smug line.

Yuuri looked back at the girl:

"Who is she?"

"What? You don't remember? Hana, the top model you danced with. She first had a weakness for you but she found you way too pensive and serious. It seems something's on your mind, buddy."

Mikari got dressed very quickly as Yuuri felt the need of a good aspirin, rubbing his neck.

"Want some coffee," suggested Mikari.

Yuuri shook his head. He didn't feel like swallowing anything else at the moment. Rubbing his aching head, he allowed his gaze to drift towards the naked woman. Mikari was making some coffee. He turned around and caught Yuuri's wondering eyes.

"She was trying to have sex with you."

"...What?"

"At the nightclub. The both of you got pretty hot together. She was grinding hard against you. Dude, I don't know what's wrong with you but you didn't let her kiss you. Every time she tried to do so, you would turn your head. Are you germaphobe or something?"

Yuuri's eyes couldn't help but scanning the slender body which only a half was covered with a blanket. Did he let himself carry away that far?

"I don't remember..."

"You don't?" Mikari said, handing water to Yuuri. "Sure? I'm sure your hand wandered all over her..."

"No, no, don't say that. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, that was nothing wrong with you doing that. Yuuri, you're so tensed that you need to release a little. You need to get LAID."

"Shh, shut up." Yuuri went paler. "Did I really do that?"

Mikari refused to answer right away. He sat before Yuuri, hands tightened together, his lips curving in an undecipherable smile.

"I saw you and her in one of the darkest corners of the nightclub, under the mezzanine. She was kissing your neck and you were just...holding her and caressing her. In fact, she was doing more than you but both of you looked like on the edge of sleeping together. She could only rub herself against your leg and for sure, you had the longest smile ever. But as I told you, she tried to kiss you; you turned your head away. Then, she tried to unzip your pants, you refused. But the vigil had already seen both of you starting something and he excluded you. She asked you if you wanted to go to the hotel, but you refused, again and there, she got pretty frustrated."

Mikari slowly lost his victory smile as Yuuri's head was soon covered by his two hands.

"Yuuri...God, you didn't do anything. I DID! Hana finally chose me!"

"Still...I'm just glad I didn't go further. We probably had a lot of fun, I'm sure I enjoyed it but that's it."

"Do you already have a secret girlfriend, Yuuri? A side-piece chick? Are you secretly married or whatever?"

A rush of blood went to Yuuri's heart. He shook his head immediately:

"No!"

"So why do you feel so bad at having some fun with girls? I'm sure you're not gay...or maybe...you are? I remember you always looked a little refrained when we were around girls, in high school."

Yuuri gave him his darkest look. Mikari bit his own tongue.

"I'm a little shy, what's wrong with that?"

"Okay, okay, sorry bro', didn't mean to hurt you... Still after I finished making love with Hana, she went to sleep beside you and flew to dreamland right away! Hey wait here a minute, I'm just going to buy some pastries at the bakery before my building. Watch over her, please."

Before Yuuri could say anything (or refuse) Mikari quickly pulled on shoes and went out.

Yuuri's heart skipped a beat as intense black eyes fluttered open then settled upon his face.

"Hello," Hana said with a warm smile.

"...H-hi," Yuuri's cheeks turned into a deep crimson hue.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked, her voice a little hoarse.

"F-fine, thank you..." He just couldn't look at her as he fidgeted with his own shirt. Hana noticed Yuuri's embarassment, as a slight blush coloured her own cheeks.

"Oh, sorry," she said in a tone that showed she was not sorry at all. She pulled the blanket up her breast, her long hair dishevelled around her face and shoulders. "I think I sort of blacked out."

"May-Maybe..." Yuuri said trying to meet her in the eyes. _No, not really. You and Mikari were far from blacking out, it seems, this last night. Gosh...I can't believe Mikari would do THAT with her, just beside me, while I'm asleep! They were so drunk!_

"Where's Mikari?" She then enquired, looking around, blinking her eyes as the morning light kind of blinded her.

"He's just gone to buy some cakes. He made coffee if you want."

The situation was truly awkward: they barely knew each other...and she was already there, waking up at his side, after a crazy night with his friend.

"Thank you, I'll take a cup after a good shower. I'm glad I don't have a big hangover."

"Yes, you look very..." Er, fresh? She smiled again at his new blush. Then sniffed the air.

"You should take a shower, too, Yuuri. You smell alcohol."

"Th-that's fine, I'm going soon-"

"Aw, really?...You don't want to join me under the shower?"

Yuuri's eyes became so huge that she couldn't help but burst into laughters. Still, there was something serious in her demeanour. For sure, he had already shared baths with people...but a woman had never been in his own bath! Yuuri stammered, flushed even harder and then got out of the large futon.

"I'm sorry, I-I have to go!"

As if the Gods had listened to him, his smartphone rang loudly and the word "mum" on the screen made his way out even more necessary. He calmed down, his lips drawing a smile (more easily than expected-the Maou probably was pulling the strings of this little game) then he made his way to the door, as he had fallen asleep with his shoes on. He was feeling a bit self-conscious to smell bad...but he didn't feel at a complete ease to wash himself in Mikari's small flat. He glanced at her, heart still beating strong. She was so beautiful. He turned to the door.

"Wait, Yuuri, will I see you again?"

"Er, maybe...I have to see Mikari again this evening...for a night-out...If you want to-"

"I do. I'll be there."

They smiled warmly at each other. And Yuuri left. Mikari got her, in the end. She was his friend's girlfriend. His hand was shaking around his phone.

**XXX**

He opened the door or his house, thinking nothing would happen. As soon as he entered the living-room, the view of Conrad sitting for some morning tea with his parents had Yuuri gasp.

"Yuu-chan, you're back! Has your night with Mikari been good?"

Yuuri's stunned eyes went back and forth from his parents to Conrad. He kept a physical distance with the three others: he realized he still smelt (beside beer) cigarette. His father smiled:

"Your godfather made us the surprise to visit us, and he even spent the night here, in Shouri's bedroom."

"I see," Yuuri answered slowly. His mind was befuddled. He was sure something had happened between he and Conrad but he couldn't remember what exactly. From the slight embarrassment he felt, they obviously hadn't parted in great terms.

"Hi, Yuuri," Conrad said with the kindest voice ever.

"Hi. Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you a little."

"Conrad can stay with you, here," his mother said, cheerful because she adored Conrad. "Your father and me are going in town for shopping."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, Yuuri and Conrad were alone in the living room.

"What do you want to talk about?" Yuuri asked to break the awkward silence.

"I wanted to know how you feel," Conrad started. He hesitated but he added: "and to speak about Wolfram."

As the soldier expected it, Yuuri's face hardened in expression. The name 'Wolfram' had become the name he hated the most for the past few days.

"I don't want anything to ruin the few days off I'm taking," he replied. His coldness somewhat perplexed Conrad for he wasn't used to such a tone from his usually nice godson.

"I know...I guess you really need to rest and to leave your job as a king aside, for the moment. I saw you at the nightclub. I talked about Wolfram. You don't want anything to do with him-"

"Yes-"

"But he's been very ill, your majesty."

Yuuri looked like he didn't know what to say or do, but he definitely kept his eyes averted.

"Wolfram...is strong. He'll recover..."

"I know...But we've never seen him so weak. And weak to the extent we have to ask for your help. _Against_ Wolfram's own wishes."

Yuuri's eyes remained on the floor, his body stiff, but his breathing a bit laborious.

"Then respect Wolfram's wishes."

"Yuuri-"

"Conrad, I'm asking you to leave me alone. I'll come back when my holidays are over. Not before."

The sad godfather could fix his king only with a mix of stupefaction and disappointment. His lips curved upward, in a melancholic expression. He rose from his chair and stepped towards Yuuri, slowly:

"Fine...I'm going to see Shouri, in any case. I have something important to tell him about. But I had something for you, too, that I got for your birthday, a few weeks ago," he pulled out from his pocket a small yellow package and handed it to his godson. Yuuri looked away and walked past him, heading for his bedroom.

"I don't want it."

**XXX**

At Mikari's house, Yuuri could first only eat his ramen with difficulty. He felt tormented. Nearly remorseful. The way he had addressed Conrad...God, he should have...Yuuri sighed, not aware that his two friends were watching him. Conrad was only trying to be nice. No, he had nothing to reproach himself. Why would he always blame himself for every misfortune that befell on Wolfram or whoever?...

Yes, Wolfram was strong, he would heal quickly. He had access to every medicine of the world, his family were probably pampering him as usual, and magic could enhance and reinforce any medicine given to him. Wolfram was taken care of better than anyone else in the kingdom. Yuuri didn't want to take an active part in spoiling Wolfram any longer. The green-eyed soldier wasn't a kid, he was a grown ass man who could look after himself on his own.

Yuuri could stay here, on Earth, for as long as he had decided it just before leaving Shin Makoku. Nothing pressed him to go home. He had so many things to do here, with friends. And how could he care about Conrad's kindness when the man only pressured him, for Wolfram? His guilt towards his godfather still remained.

"I want to go out," he said all at once.

"What?"

"Yeah, I want to party or go to some karaoke."

Mikari appeared ironically delighted:

"Wow, Yuuri, you're finally growing up. That's great!"

"Karaoke? Why not? I'm sure it's going to be fun!" said Hana, enthusiast. "I know one nearby."

And with that, Yuuri would make sure to forget all his worries at least for the time being. After a lazy but nice site-sighting of his home town, Yuuri and his friends headed towards a small restaurant. The lunch, finished with a few beers, cost them little and they prolonged the evening by going to a karaoke that Hana used to frequent, younger. The three young people exhausted all the list of songs in their small and cosy room, sheltered from other attendants who had come for the same purpose: getting fun, singing even if it meant bad singing, drinking soft beverages...

Yuuri realized that he had never had fun like this, just because he'd grown to believe a king couldn't act so frivolous and carefree. Not that his advisers hadn't encouraged him to use money and entertain himself, but Yuuri's consciousness as a king had taken over his consciousness, his soul as a young man. And now he couldn't hold himself back from thinking he had wasted so many years in becoming an adult way too early. This thought sent him into a rage that needed all his strength to be contained.

His eyes rolled towards Hana and Mikari singing like crazy. The girl was sitting on Mikari's lap, he rubbing her back in a voluptuous manner, sometimes sliding his hand underneath her red top. He could have been Mikari, Yuuri told himself, dating girls, developing this inner part of him, experiencing things that he could only witness from afar...But something had prevented him from living these things, something like venomous plants entangling around his arms and forbidding him from progressing.

This something was...this feeling of guiltiness he felt towards Wolfram and the solidity that their "engagement" had acquired with years. He had decided to forget it, neglect it, consider it as nothing but a joke, a piece of crap to laugh about when tired or stupid. And yet, Wolfram had pressured him so much into thinking their engagement was legitimate...Pressured? Was it really the good word? Probably not. Not pressured, but Wolfram discussed their relationship with such seriousness that Yuuri hadn't felt the strength to deny him and his feelings.

Hana looked over her shoulder and winked at Yuuri. For a moment, the two held their stare, to the detriment of a completely oblivious Mikari. As he read something in Hana's eyes, Yuuri looked away.

Beside his frustration for his lack of experience and the semi_disgust he'd developed towards Wolfram, he couldn't push the memory of their argument off his mind. When both had been yelling, it was like Wolfram couldn't stand enough, his legs failing under the weight of his wrath and chagrin. He'd never seen him like that before.

He hated him. Yet, his thoughts were all about Wolfram.

"Hey, Yuuri, are you okay?" Mikari waved his hand before Yuuri's black eyes.

Yuuri jumped with surprise before a giant smile plastered over his face. He took one of the bottles of beer left on their table, opened it with his teeth and gulped a good one:

"Yeah, of course, give me that," he snatched Mikari's micro.

The group ended their small party very late into the night. The following day, the three of them had the excellent idea to drive until the beach and enjoy free time over there. Mikari could drive and both Hana and Yuuri bought food.

It felt like heaven to stay laying on the sand, watching the waves dancing, the birds flying over the slightly agitated surface, and to eat sandwiches. Yuuri let the wind graze against his skin, the sand filling his shoes, the warmth of this end of summer overwhelming him.

He felt his youth renewed.

The awakening relationship between Mikari and Hana made him smile. Of course, this was a little weird to see her jump from him to his friend. But he had never shared anything with her, not even a kiss. Just a dance, holding hands, a cigarette.

_We'll share a kiss like this, Yuuri. With a cigarette. _

_Her dark look diving into Yuuri's who maintained his stare, too, she allowed him to lit her cigarette. _

_And then, as he drew a breath from the cigarette Hana had first tried, Yuuri could still sense the lingering wetness of her lips, around the tip..._

How could he have even imagined for a single second that he and Wolfram could...could grow their relationship to this point? Getting intimate, sleeping next to each other, holding hands, kissing...He felt so much anger at this, and at himself. He had wanted...or least, tried to see how being a couple with Wolfram- in the most intimate sense-could really be like. This had been a start for a chance for Wolfram, he who had desired a true relationship with Yuuri so much! And now the blond man had fucked everything up with his recent attitude, his insults, his words, his jealousy...

A sane person would never long for a tumultuous relationship.

_I don't want that. I don't want this sort of messy relationship! _

Yuuri, with a "mph!" sound, raised to his feet and walked into the sea.

"Yuuri," Mikari said, "you haven't brought your swimsuit, dude!"

"Don't worry!"

Yuuri couldn't help but smile, back turned to his friend. He kept on walking ahead, ignoring the small calls filled with worry from Hana and Mikari. Finally, he let himself drop on the back. A splash noise met his ears, but he couldn't care less. The fresh water refilled him with energy as his eyes met a blue sky without clouds.

**TB**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**No money made from this fanfiction. For entertainment's purposes only.**

**Thank you very much to the reviewers as always.**

**WARNING: piss and vomit?**

**4\. Spiral of the Last Chance**

_**Reconnection**_

Wolfram was curled on the cold ground, his sword laying beside him. He could barely breathe, his nausea so strong that it blocked his throat. His hot forehead could melt the hardest stone. He opened his eyes to look at his weapon. His thin white cotton nightgown was soaked with sweat.

He was not used to be in such a state. For God's sake, he was Wolfram von Bielefeld, one of the strongest men in the kingdom!

Yet, his shaking was so powerful that he could barely direct his hand to try to reach for his sword.

No part of his body was spared from pain: he was hurting everywhere.

He wanted to pee, but the toilets and the chamber pot seemed too far from his current spot.

Why had he tried to get up from his bed and get dressed? How could he go to work, sick as he was?

Oh, dear Shinou, he wanted that pain to stop. Why was his body killing him like that? He pressed his hands against his stomach then, weakly, raised his right one to his mouth. He had to throw up, he couldn't breathe. Why was a single medicine not able to calm this nausea?

Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes.

This was ridiculous: he felt too weak to even press a single finger on his tongue to vomit. He couldn't even do that.

_Please, Shinou...Stop that pain. I can't stand it anymore. _

No medicine had been effective enough. Nothing had worked so far to relieve his aching body. It had been days and days that the doctors had remained completely at a loss.

His love chagrin made it even worse.

In spite of the torture his body was going through, he couldn't escape from thinking of his fiancé. His gone fiancé. He bit his lips as his heart swelled again, too many emotions rushing through his soul. He strangled every sob, every desperate moan which loomed over his resistance.

No fucking self-pity, he had the will to think.

_If it lasts like this again...I don't think I can make it...It hurts, it hurts..._

His identity was stolen from him. Wolfram von Bielefeld, strong? What a joke. He envied every single healthy person. A wretched man is no one to rely on.

At last, his torso blipped, he hiccoughed, his mouth opened and a load of vomit came out and spilt on the floor, running down his right cheek. The soup, swallowed just a few minutes earlier, was now spreading there. Such a foul smell. Yet...he couldn't care less. He barely realized when his own piss started to flow on the ground, hot and disgusting liquid with an abominable smell.

Whatever had suppressed his strength had totally won.

He couldn't take it any more, his eyes closed softly. Celi entered. As she rushed towards Wolf, she called him. And so loudly that her scream spread towards all nearest chambers. But that, she didn't realize.

**XXX**

On the field, Yuuri was ready. Arms raised, hands wrapped tight around the bat, his eyes reflecting his determination focused on the opponent. His feet were both light and firmly planted on the ground as his knees and waist changed their position when the ball flew into Yuuri.

As if he didn't see anything else but this tiny object thrown to him, Yuuri swang his arms with strength, and hit the ball with perfection. His extreme concentration seemed to make the sound, the noises louder, more precise. BAAAM!

The game drew towards its end, to Yuuri's team's victory. His friends patted his shoulders in admiration and joy:

"Well done, Shibuya!"

"Thanks."

His first move was to grab his bottle of water and drink his heart content. He smiled as he checked the scores.

Today was one of the best days of the week. Yuuri's mood had changed, and he nearly didn't remember why he was so irritated when he got back here. Now he seemed to trust life again and felt ready to start all over again, on good basis. He was thinking of himself, and himself only, of what he wanted and needed. What he had longed for-and that he couldn't admit to Conrad- was a social life with people who didn't have anything to do with Shin Makoku, royalty or whatever. Just..._normal people_.

He sat with his friends on the near benches and they chatted all together, basked in the sunlight and the ambient excellent mood that the game had brought. Yuuri's happiness to have reconnected with former friends exceeded any earlier melancholia. He had plans for parties, restaurants, studying together...There was nothing else he wanted so strong now as he wanted to live a happy and fullfilled life.

The chat went on, before they all got up to head back towards their locker-room.

A beautiful red car horned at him when he was out. Yuuri quickly recognized Hana and her crimson red lips. She waved at him. He gave her a grateful smile as he took place in the car, on the passager's seat. She leaned over him and kissed his cheek, surprising him. "As a friend," she winked. She drove him back home.

The evening arrived quickly.

In his bedroom, the young man was ironing his shirt. Indeed, he and Mikari and few other friends had made plans for bowling. Mikari wanted to introduce him to someone. A pretty girl. Yuuri had accepted with slight reluctance. He kept at the back of his mind that he had "an engagement" and that he would first properly end it before moving onto another relationship.

But truth be told, he felt in such a hurry to move on, precisely, to start something new.

His phone rang, a nice visual kei song. Mikari was calling him. It was one of his habits to always check ten minutes before coming at his place, to see if Yuuri was still up for hanging out.

"Hey, Yuuri, are you ready?"

"Yep, just finished to button my shirt."

"Okay, I'm coming in a few minutes."

"No need to knock on the door, I'll be out when you arrive."

He made way to his bathroom and checked his reflection. The mirror was telling him he had buffed his muscles up, and gained a rather flattering silhouette. He smiled at that. He decided to put on some gel on his hair then rinsed his hands.

The tap wouldn't close as Yuuri turned it. The more pressure he applied in turning it, the more it resisted. His heart beat as anguish started to build up within. Water filled the washbasin, and at this very moment, as if a ghost hand had turned the tap, water stopped running.

"Yuuri..."

Conrad's voice. Yuuri's breath got laborious. For a few seconds, he was unable to make a single move. He stared at the clear liquid and its untrouble surface. In water, just like on a laptop screen, the face of Conrad appeared.

"Yuuri...I'm really sorry to bother you...But it's urgent. We really need you, right now-"

The godfather's voice trailed off as Yuuri began to shake his head violently.

"No-No, just no! Not now! Go away, Conrad!"

"Yuuri, please listen to me!"

But flinging the bathroom's door open, Yuuri was already stomping into the corridor. Conrad had no other choice.

To Yuuri's horror, water flowed from the washbasin until it reached the floor. Similarly to a snake, it followed Yuuri through the corridor. The sound of a river resounded between the four walls.

"Yuuri you have to come back, please! I wouldn't do this if that wasn't urgent!"

"Get away!"

Yuuri ran down the stairs to the main door but he had the neat sensation that water was still trailing in his track. And-and how could Conrad do this? Had he gained new powers? Did Shinou help him to master water?

He opened the door, and he caught sight of Mikari's car. His friend pulled it aside, got out and waved at him:

"Yuuri!...Yuuri..."

Mikari's once joyful voice completely shut off. Behind Yuuri, in a whirl of water, a tall and handsome man formed and rose. Conrad gripped Yuuri's wrist:

"Yuuri! Please!"

"What?!" His black eyes couldn't lie: hatred was invading Yuuri. Hatred fed by the anger and the fear that Conrad's presence elicited. His voice, the seriousness in which he pleaded Yuuri to come back home, the deep concern in his light brown eyes made Yuuri's heart hammer vigourously like a mad drummer. At the same time, Yuuri couldn't help but feel so much hatred for Conrad for disrupting his quiet night. He barked into his face.

"What do you want?!"

Conrad took a few breaths, staring at his godson.

"Wolfram is dying."

Yuuri's anger faded away. His wrist was only a limp in Conrad's hand. His disbelief was so strong that he remained speechless. Those three simple words started to make him shake.

"What..."

"He is dying, Yuuri. His health had suddenly lessened. He only has a few hours. Maybe you don't care, and I won't be resentful towards you: this is your right. But as a big brother...as a big brother, I beg you. Beg you, _please_," Conrad's voice strangled, he was out of breath, his eyes getting wet. To have Wolfram lose his life a second time would be like breaking Conrad's heart never to be fixed. "We-"

They gasped. The hand that Conrad was wrapping around Yuuri's softened, got colder and the skin lightened. All at once, it returned to a liquid state. Before an envelop of water engulfed Conrad, his lips spoke again:

"Wolfram needs you. He won't tell it but he..."

Water splashed at Yuuri's feet. He shivered as the spot where Conrad had stood was nothing more than a puddle.

XXX

The lights in Shinou's temple revealed Wolfram's pale form laying in the air as though on an invisible bed. He was breathing lowly. His body could only sustain such a mere and vital action. Doing more than that would have been too big an effort. He was not aware of his surroundings.

All of a sudden, Conrad's silhouette appeared in the centre with a wave sound, like a slow splash.

The brown-haired man walked towards his brother. His heart broke at seeing Wolfram so weak. In his white shirt and trousers, his little brother was sort of floating. He had lost much weight, and his sunken cheeks began to prove how debilitated he had become. It was hard to imagine that this young man, devoid of any strength, used to ride on a horse, holding his sword, and defend his beloved king. He reminded of those skeletons Conrad had seen so many times during and after battles.

"I'm sorry, Wolfram, I've done everything I could," Conrad murmured, holding back tears that he wasn't used to shed. _I've done everything. Run all around the kingdom for a rare medicine that would allow your breath to come back. Consult every doctor, every witch or whatever to find you a cure...I didn't do as you wanted, as far as Yuuri is concerned..._

A mellow buzz reached Conrad's ears.

Shinou was standing on the other side of Wolfram. He looked cold, yet forlorn. He gazed at Wolfram. Conrad bowed, out of respect. What was the Great One, the first king of Shin Makoku, doing there?

"I can only do this for Wolfram von Bielefeld," Shinou said after a short while. "Maintening his heart. But I won't do it foreover-"

"Majesty!" Conrad said, panicked. No, Shinou couldn't abandon his brother; he was their last hope.

Shinou sighed, eyes still on Wolfram. He frowned, extremely pensive, and looking like he was not seeing Conrad.

"He's one of my last descendants. I may have a soft spot for him, by the way...He's brave and courageous. That is probably why I want him to survive. But I want him to heal and give up on Yuuri. Yes, I want his love for Yuuri to disappear."

The last statement puzzled Conrad as he peered at Shinou with a growing worry.

All of a sudden, a force jerked Conrad forward until his hand reached for Wolfram's arm.

Wolfram startled, eyes so wide open that they could burst out, air rushing through his lungs and his brain. A sudden lightning exploded in the whole room before everything became white.

Conrad's recent memories were transmitted to Wolfram's mind.

Yuuri rejecting him, Yuuri surrounded by unknown people, Yuuri dancing with a girl, lovingly holding her with no disgust or embarrassment, Yuuri laughing-eyes sparkling with joy, Yuuri in a state of happiness he'd never witnessed before, Yuuri refusing to help him, Yuuri ordering Conrad to stay away.

"_Conrad, I'm asking you to leave. I'll come back when my vacation is over. Not before."_

"_...Your majesty, I'm...I'm not so sure that Wolfram would bear any longer..."_

"_I don't want to hear about this. I'm telling you, he'll recover without me. And if he doesn't,...so what?" Yuuri raised dark eyes at his godfather: "I don't want him in my life anymore."_

At this Yuuri spun around to disappear inside his house's corridor.

The temple's walls came back in view. Conrad let out Wolfram's hand.

Wolfram was staring at the ceiling, lips quivering. A single tear streamed from his eye.

"Your majesty...wh-what happened?"Conrad asked, eyes darting with panic towards Shinou. The blond spirit's facial features had become next to impassible, undecipherable; yet a light of satisfaction was glinting in his blue eyes. Wolfram's life would change, from now on. He would make sure of that.

"I told you, Weller. I want him to heal-and he will heal, Yuuri will come. But I want no trace of love for Yuuri in Wolfram's heart any-more. He has suffered too much, already."

And at this, Shinou's form disintegrated.

**XXX TBC XXX**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**Not my property, no money made from this fanfiction.**

**Thank you so much to the all reviewers :) I loved reading your detailed reactions. **

**5\. Going**

_**Conflict**_

A car was rolling with uncertainty on the dark streets of Tokyo.

"Shit, Yuuri! Was it some _gh-ghost?_ Or whatever?" Mikari was babbling, his concentration too weakened for him to speak calmly. "You didn't tell me you had that at home! Fuck, he literally disappeared!" He shook his head, breathless: "Man, I've slept several times at your place, how could you be silent about that?! Hey, Yuuri, are you listening?"

In his great anguish, Mikari barely paid attention to Hana. Driving in her own car, behind Mikari's car, she had joined the boys after Conrad's "departure".

Beside a freaking out Mikari, Yuuri was sitting boneless on the passenger's place. He was lost. He couldn't believe it. Conrad was...probably wrong. Dying. Dying.

"Mikari, stop the car."

"What?!"

"Stop it. I have to go. Leave me here, and don't worry. Go to the party... I can't go with you."

"...Really, Yuuri? So you're the one to organise this and then you decide not to come."

Mikari sighed and stopped his car on the side, feeling lucky that no car was rushing behind. "See you later, then."

"I don't know when I come back," Yuuri replied as he unbelted himself. "Sorry, I'll contact you soon."

He got out swiftly. Seeing her boyfriend surprisingly stopping, Hana halted her car, and caught Yuuri's silhouette leaving. She couldn't help but gasp. She pushed her door open and went out:

"Yuuri, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, I..." Yuuri trailed off as he kept walking away.

"Do you want to pee?" she asked. In her astonishment/amusement/shame, Yuuri was heading between trees. "The house isn't that far, just a minute away-"

"I'm sorry, I have to go...I'll come back...later," he said in uncertainty. The sound that came next after Yuuri's last words was Mikari getting out, too, as Hana seemed at a complete loss. _Too much loss. _

"What?" she said, with wide eyes. "But you can't go, Yuuri!...What's happening?" she ran to him. She calmed down as Yuuri didn't reject her; yet his eyes were downcast."Do you have any problem? Tell me, I'm sure I could help you..." she added with a caring tone.

"I just can't go, now," Yuuri answered, in the same worried voice. Her perfume reached his nose and he finally looked at her.

"Why?...We have prepared this party together...Are you sure everything's all right?"

In total honesty, Yuuri could perceive that Hana felt really and genuinely concerned at him, at least, and that she would be able to leave the party just for him to hear him speak all his issues his heart content.

He paused, looked at her, into her eyes. She flinched and her heart reached new levels of beating when he slid, gently, a warm hand on left her cheek and neck, some of her hair entangling in his long fingers. She shivered, despite the still pleasant temperatures of this evening.

"Thank you, but I have to go...Don't worry, go have fun."

At some point, a third party would have thought a kiss would be shared. But only a smile was given and the double black left. Hana felt lost as her eyes followed the vanishing silhouette. Her hand raised to her left cheek; his warmth was still lingering...She startled suddenly when her ears detected a noise behind her.

She turned around. Mikari, hands in pockets, was breathing loudly, yet slowly. He was peering at her. It all came down to her that she was dating this man, and not the one who had just abandoned them and that she shouldn't feel like that, neither behave so selfishly. She ran her fingers in her hair then trotted back to him.

"Mikari..."

"Go to the party. I forgot something at my place," he said with a voice that one could describe as neutral, if this wasn't for this tiny hint of coldness and reproach. Hana looked into his eyes, sorry, then nodded and went back to her car. When she was out of view, Mikari didn't join his own vehicle. Instead the young man hurried to Yuuri's path.

Yuuri wasn't heading home. Instead, this weird friend of his was walking straight to the nearest public fountain. And then, Mikari couldn't believe his eyes as he witnessed the most extraordinary thing ever.

Yuuri jumped into the water which had started to swirl and rise at his presence. A beautiful blue light brightened the area.

Then his friend was gone.

**XXX**

Despite the warmth of the invisible bed brought to him in the temple, Wolfram was feeling cold. Helplessly, he had raised one arm-consuming a big part of his strength. He tried to wrap it against his torso to build some additional warmth.

Gwendal, Gunter, Conrad, Celi, Gisela, Murata and Yozak turned around in a single move when a splash sound resonated in the whole temple. Yuuri was back.

He looked out of breath, damped, eyes red. But more than everything, fear was plastered over his face.

"Where is he?" he asked, trying to catch his respiration.

"Wolfram is just right here," Murata ended up answering.

Yuuri passed them up, barely noticing Celi's and Gwendal's wet eyes. And however, Gwendal's crying would have been quite an occurrence for Yuuri to see in untroubled times. A violent gasp escaped Yuuri's lungs.

He knew that Wolfram had been sick. He knew that his friend was on the edge of losing his life. Yet, he hadn't expected to see him in such a horrible state. Conrad's first warning hadn't resonated as true.

This was not Wolfram right there, laying in the air at waist level, no, it was a corpse!

Wolf's eyes were underlined by deep dark rings, his hair which was once blond and luxurious had turned ashen and rather scarce, his usual pale complexion was now an unhealthy livid colour. His limbs had shrunk in thickness, making him look like an old man. How long had he been away from Wolfram?

_Oh...my God...What did I do? What did I..._

"Wolf, can you hear me?"

With trembling hands, Yuuri reached for Wolfram's. His hands were so cold that the young king startled. Recovering from this shock, he closed his eyes and with the power of his mind, he summoned his magic. He guessed that guiltiness made the process much quicker... Little by little, a soft azure light emitted from Yuuri's hands and rolled around Wolf's form.

Celi was gripping her oldest sons' arms, hope returning within her. Indeed, every portion of hope that she had, by resignation, pushed away was slowly making its way back to her. Her baby son's body was getting his former health back. His cheeks got fuller again, his golden mane as thick as it was, his members reprising their good size.

The threat of sickness seemed to have stepped away, under the sudden awakening of their king.

"I thought you'd never come."

Shinou loved to make surprise appearances. He was standing at Wolfram's left side, face to Yuuri. His eyes showed no kindness towards the young king. Then Shinou's attention returned to Wolfram whose green eyes fluttered open.

"Wolf..." Yuuri let out, without realizing so. Wolfram slightly turned his head on the right.

As soon as he caught sight of his former fiancé, his face expressed the utmost chagrin as if he was about to cry. Yet, no tears leaked. On the contrary, Wolfram bit his lip hard, containing his overload of emotions. He stared at his fiancé, in complete disbelief, the shadow of depression not totally gone. Taking pity in this, Shinou slightly touched his forehead.

Wolfram fell asleep, as his lips quivered when a quiet "Yuu..." came out of his mouth. The once upset face came back to a peaceful expression.

"He needs to rest a little. You saved him but he remains fragile. We have every right to think he'll be totally recovered in a few days. Get him back to his bedroom."

Not without addressing a last stare at Yuuri, he evaporated.

Gwendal didn't wait longer. He immediately took his brother in his arms, his head comfortably resting against his big chest. Celi kissed him so hard that she threatened to awake him. Fortunately she let go of his face, just holding his hand as, with hurried steps, they made their way to the exit. The rest of their group followed, just Conrad and Gunter giving a glance at Yuuri.

Yuuri followed, legs weak. Murata patted his shoulder.

"He's fine. Don't worry. It's amazing he's held on for so long. What he caught was a new disease...We just discovered it. Gisela analysed it and, she said this microbe is so powerful that it could kill a mazoku in less than a week. Looks like Wolf had enough strength to resist for one month."

His voice trailed off as Yuuri fell on his knees, head in his hands. Traumatized by what his own actions led to, and by his lack of empathy, or whatever his guilt and fear made him believe, Yuuri felt without energy. Everything that had taken place before he saved Wolfram had gone off of his mind. Someone needed to wake him up from this nightmare.

"I should have come back earlier! Had I not come here, Wolfram would...Wolfram would..."

Murata stared at him, eyes icy, for a few seconds, observing his best friend. Then, with a sigh, like a father would do to his son, Murata knelt at his side, a hand on Yuuri's head:

"Yuuri. Everything will be fine. You have made it sure. Wolfram is now safe. If you want to assure his complete recovery, watch over him. You laying like a lifeless stock of poop won't help, you know it, right?"

Yuuri had to chuckle at that, but he still felt exhausted from this emotional and physical rollercoaster.

"And you need to change, you're all wet from swimming."

**XXX**

It was the end of the day. Two or three candles lightened the darkness of the room. It was quiet, the rare sparrows kept chirping outside. Wolfram opened his eyes, big purple rings under them. His body still expressed some weakness, and he could tell he hadn't totally recovered. However, as he moved his head, there was no pain in the act. And his nausea had more than lightened, to his utmost relief.

But, he wondered as his eyes gazed into the dark, what did happen? How could he heal so suddenly? He tried to breathe harder and then a smell caught his nostrils. His eyes started to widen. The beating of his heart felt like a broken clock which couldn't stop ringing. And then, his mattress delicately sank under a weight.

"Wolf..."

Yuuri was looking at him.

Wolfram saw the pain and the worry that animated the beloved black eyes. The shock to see him trapped his breath. There was a sudden urge for him, a natural, spontaneous one, to throw himself at Yuuri's arms, to lock his own arms around his neck and to get a new breath of life from a shared hug. He had missed him.

He tried to sit, supporting himself on his elbows. A violent snap cracked in his head, like someone had opened his mental box.

His sudden desire to hold Yuuri, to kiss him, cooled about a few seconds later. Wolfram recollected, blood frozen, Conrad's memories...His eyes widened a second time, but from disbelief. He had _cheated_ on him, his mind murmured lowly, brokenly. No matter how much his own words, his own insults may have pained the king, Yuuri had decided to hurt him this way. In spite of the anger, the wrath that had kept them apart for a whole month, Wolfram, in his thin white tunic, perceived the truth. Yuuri had willingly, determinedly ignored his pain and added another one, which could break the whole sacredness of their engagement. It was like a half of Wolfram's heart was torn apart and burnt.

And yet... yet, how could he get angry at Yuuri for this? He had insulted him beyond irrationality. With hindsight, Wolfram could barely believe Yuuri was there, sitting at his side, with no disgust in his eyes with all the things Wolfram had hurled at his face. Yuuri got his revenge. Wolfram was paying the high price of his own behaviour.

He had disrespected his king in every serious aspect possible. As a servant, as a soldier, as a man. As a fiancé. And even though it hurt to have been betrayed, to have been mortified this way, he couldn't make any reproach. However, the pain to have seen Yuuri so open and attached to someone else wouldn't go away. The image of he and that girl, in a such a lovely embrace, refused to erase from his mind.

"How are you?" Yuuri asked, with the same broken voice. Wolfram turned his head away. Yuuri sounded so...so sad, so tired, and stressed, too. He hadn't expected that. Were Conrad's memories false? He sure had seen Yuuri enjoying his new golden life with his friend, this girl...Wolfram spotted the glass of water standing on his night-stand.

Instantly, Yuuri reached for it and, softly, slid his hand under Wolfram's nape. He lifted his neck and guided his lips towards the glass's edge. The refreshing beverage momentarily emptied his mind. He had craved for Yuuri's contact, his soft, warm and shaking hand against his skin. A few weeks ago, those same hands could have been trying to strangle him. But Yuuri had never done that, never would. Wolfram was the _violent_ one, not Yuuri. Those same hands that held that girl, that caressed her waist, her hips, her back and then her breasts. Wolfram abruptly turned his head away, water spilling on his blanket. Conrad saw all of that. Why hadn't he stopped Yuuri?

_I've been so wrong, so wrong...but how could he do that to me? Why?_

Yuuri was hurriedly wiping the water with a near handkerchief.

"Wolfram, are you all right?" he asked, panicked. The blond had turned very pale again, so suddenly that Yuuri feared a "crisis" or a fit. Very quickly, Yuuri summoned his powers, hands on Wolf's arm. Before the blue light could surround him, he whispered:

"Stop."

All his time, he had been sick, on the edge of death. And all this time, Yuuri had been dancing and laughing and celebrating his new-status to come. A single man, getting rid off of his annoying and controlling fiancé. Now he was there, trying to heal him?

"Wolfram...I'm sorry..."

Wolfram closed his eyes.

He felt sick again at the different and conflicting emotions which battled in his mind. _I'm sorry, too_. His lips remained closed, the memories of the beautiful woman who experienced no rejection from his own fiancé playing in his mind again and again like a possessed record. He wanted Yuuri to hear these words, and he wanted to shout at him, for the pain he was causing him.

. . .

He was feeling so cold, that he found the strength to pull the blanket up and to yield his sick face from his king. Wolfram lay in a foetal position.

Yuuri wanted to do something. Anything. He felt helpless.

"Do you want me to leave you alone...?" he asked softly. A small nod was all he got from the blond.

His ears perceived a very low "Thank you."

Yuuri slowly rose from his chair. He stared again at the delicate shape under the blanket, the head covered with blond hair. Resigned, mournfully, the king headed with heavy feet towards the door. As he lay his hand on the handle, he turned again to look at Wolfram:

"Wolfram...I'll..." he bit his lip, "I'll try to make up things for you and me. If..." He started to stress again, as his chest swelled and flattened in a jerky rhythm. "If you want...to cancel the engagement, we'll do so. I will."

Silence answered him. He closed the door behind him quietly.

Greta. His daughter needed him. And he owed her an apology.

**XX-TBC-XX**

**Things are taking longer than I had initially thought. Nevertheless things'll get quicker from the next chapter, at least between Yuuri and Wolfram, and the decision of where they want to lead their relationship. One of them is making a decision. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh! **

**No money made from this fanfiction. For free entertainment purposes only.**

**Thank you very much to all the people who left reviews. Reading what you have liked, your expectations for this story etc. made me smile a great deal. **

**6\. They Want a Ball**

_**"Have you ever...liked Wolfram? At least once?"**_

_**.**_

**_._**

**_._**

Conrad walked into the corridor. His king's chamber was on his right. The castle was still dormant and calm from its quiet slumber; yet the awakening had begun, with the morning colouring the once dark sky. He was carrying a tray filled with Yuuri's favourite breakfast.

With softness, he pushed the door open and stepped into the bedroom.

Yuuri was already awake; or more precisely, the young king hadn't slept. He stood near the window. His black eyes were looking out through the glass. The sun rays started to warm his skin in an eerie pink and golden hue.

"Your majesty?" Conrad said, surprised.

Yuuri looked at him. The godfather caught sight of the deep rings under the black eyes. His white shirt was open from his neck to the start of his chest.

"Conrad...What are you doing?"

"I came to wake you up, like every morning... May I come in?"

After a moment, Yuuri nodded. Conrad walked towards the table and set down the tray.

"Are you hungry?"

"How is Wolfram? I haven't seen or heard from him since yesterday."

"He's recovering. He gets better."

"I heard..." Yuuri bit his lips, as his eyes cast down. "I heard he couldn't walk."

Conrad looked away, unintentionally, sighing.

"You've been very kind, Yuuri. You've done so much. No one else's magic could at least give him back the ability to eat by himself, to read by himself, to sit up...to open his eyes. Only you, Yuuri. Don't beat yourself up about this...He's safe now."

Yuuri shook his head. Once again, guiltiness seemed to be an invisible weight on his slouching shoulders.

"Your kindness towards me is always to the detriment of your brother. I don't deserve that...What if, if his state doesn't get better? What if...if he stayed like that?"

"No one knows...but his health will surely improve. Wolfram is a strong man. Gunter and Gisela have been working a lot about his disease and how it could be fought without magic. We've also tried to find out whether or not such a case existed in the past. If no, this may dangerous since it could announce an epidemic. We remain careful."

"Why is it only my power that can heal people?"

"We... don't know. But you're the Maou and since Shinou, you have been one of the most powerful kings so far. We're absolutely lucky to have you, here, again."

Yuuri shook his head again. He rubbed his face with his hands. For a moment, Conrad thought Yuuri was hiding his tears. However, when the king faced him, he only saw tiredness and depression on the beautiful Japanese features. His eyes reflected utter sadness and distraught. Reality had fallen on him, hard like a brick wall.

"I've fucked up badly. I'll heal Wolfram with my magic, everyday, if need be."

Conrad looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Your majesty..." he sighed and tried to answer as he saw Yuuri's determination. "Wolfram doesn't want to see you. Any more."

Yuuri's chest swelled bigger with each new breath he took. He raised dark eyes at his godfather. Conrad couldn't help feeling sorry; but knowing Yuuri as he did, he had seen it coming. The despair, remorse, disquiet conscience. He had tried to warn him. His hate for Wolfram which had threatened to surpass his affection finally died away, no matter how much he tried to rub it to everyone's face. However tough or hateful Yuuri acted, his heart remained loving and gentle.

"The matter of your engagement will be discussed with Gwendal."

Closing his eyes and turning back to the window, Yuuri inspired a long shot of air and little by little, his inner calmness remodelled his face. Stress and anguish hadn't completely left him alone; however he appeared a lot more composed.

"I'll start work in an hour," Yuuri said after a silent time, "could you warn Gunter I'll work with him only in the morning? I need some time alone for the rest of the day."

"Of course, your majesty. Do you need anything else?"

Yuuri said no with his head. Before Conrad get out, Yuuri murmured, loud enough for his godfather to hear: "Thank you..I'm sorry."

**XXX**

He came back from Shinou's temple before midday to Blood Pledge Castle. The only person he needed to talk with, had been Murata and the memories of their conversation kept his mind occupied as he galloped through the gates. Going off Ao, his horse, the young man headed for his private apartments. A group of ladies, noblewomen who had come to pay their tribute to the king, ran to him in an unpreventing manner. Yuuri was under the impression that a beautiful, rainbow-like bouquet had surrounded him. They were certainly the only source of happiness and lightness in the court. Yuuri, though, didn't really pay attention to them because his head hurt him with all the things he had talked with the Great Sage just a moment earlier.

Nonetheless, Lady Daria inquired about Lord von Bielefeld's state, to which Yuuri answered with calm and honesty. And then, the same lady asked about their engagement, restraining herself from showing what could be perceived as misplaced hopefulness. And there Yuuri showed some hesitation. He shrugged and said, evenly: "_Things will be what they'll be_." The answer set the women's imagination on fire; their place could be, for one of them, as a king's spouse! They talked about a ball, and even if Yuuri didn't give a positive answer as to whether or not he'd be there, the ladies silently swore to themselves they'd make the king attend this ball, at any cost. From afar, another group of ladies was staring at them in disgust. To take advantage of lord von Bielefeld's sickness to get close to the King was really low. Lady Daria's mother smiled with satisfaction but under her fan. Glancing upward towards windows, she saw the face and the silhouette of Lady Celi had stayed during all the exchange between king Yuuri and the wonderful women. The ex-queen appeared chagrined and disappointed.

**XXX**

Yuuri was charged with many political and economical problems, since he had been far for too long. Indeed, Gwendal and Gunter had done the most during his absence; but now that he was older, there were things he had grown to look after, by himself without the help of his advisers.

Those things had accumulated, despite Gwendal taking a lot of his own time to deal with them.

An issue with a seemingly-corrupted association against which many complaints and petitions had been sent to the king, came as the best excuse to check Gwendal and ask for his help. And maybe offer an apology. He avoided the staff's accusative glares by determinedly locking his gaze to the floor, shoulders slouched when he plodded through the castle. They murmured once he was far enough.

The doors of Gwendal's office appeared in sight, as Yuuri got nearer. From the voices that raised in the air, a confab seemed to have taken place already. Yuuri froze at his spot (behind one of the doors); Celi's icy voice piercing the air, slow and precise.

"I want you to present him this document the soonest possible. We've made it clear Wolfram won't stay here, longer."

"Has Waltorana answered you?"

"He was very quick to write back. He'll welcome Wolfram with wide open arms. As usual he always has his private apartments prepared. Moreover, his best physicians have been already called upon, to take care of Wolfram. Greta wants to accompany us."

She sounded like her energy was annihilated but she still held onto her last remnants of strength. Agitated, it was crystal clear Wolfram's condition had tormented her mind and she'd find no peace if she didn't react.

"Lady Celi," Gunter's voice raised after Gwendal's and the ex-queen's, "terminating a royal engagement can take some time, mostly with king Yuuri and Wolfram's one concerned. They have become very popular among our people, even if I do admit some prefer to see king Yuuri with someone else."

"How many years Wofram will have to wait?" Celi asked, with cold tiredness. "They've been engaged 5 years already, nearly 6 and nothing has come out of it. While I didn't care that much in the past...I do see it in Wolfram's eyes now: he's hurt, he's suffering and we allow it to happen. Before our own eyes, Wolfram nearly died. Again. Is it not enough for you, Gwendal, Conrad?"

The room fell silent.

"I'll do my best, mother," Gwendal answered shortly after.

"I'm counting on you, Gwendal. The king will have anyone he wants, if it's really what must happen. However, Wolfram will, too. He's a young and charming man. Once he gets better, I'll organize trips and parties for him. He has to acquire a peace of mind he'll never find with his fiancé. The king has proved too many times he doesn't consider him his fiancé, and he's never treated him as such. He always has this disgust in his face when Wolfram tries to get closer to him."

"I agree with you, mother, and I want Wolfram to get better, and being away from the king is the best solution we have now," Conrad replied. "But let's not forget that Yuuri's world is nothing like our own. He and Wolfram simply holding hands in some places of his world could have them assaulted, _even worse_. This is where he's grown up and we can't blame him for that."

"True, I won't misjudge our king for this," Celi said. "But I don't want for Wolfram someone who has hesitated to save him when he could have done it, straight away. If not lovers, they have at least been friends...or so I thought before the king delayed his come back to help him, even just a little."

"The king may have given us a few feels that he may not like Wolfram as much as we thought he did," Gunter agreed in a pensive voice. "But...Still, Wolfram remains important to him. Or even for the kingdom. Beside his two brothers and few other men, he has become one of our best fighters."

"And this is also why I want him to get better," Celi asserted. "I know how Wolfram thinks: he sees himself useless and unworthy at the moment, for not being able to defend himself or his king. However, things have to change for all of us. Wolfram will cancel his engagement with the king. I'll make sure of that. And I'm relying on you to take this into consideration: his status as a skilled soldier...but also as your brother. He needs your help; and you need to make this engagement stop."

Yuuri's heart threatened to give up. His breathing even became more difficult. He reached for the corridor locker to support himself. They talked and talked again. Yuuri hid in the dark as Celi made her way out towards the opposite direction. A mother...A mother would do anything to protect her son. Wolfram going away...

Yuuri's eyes became cold. His advisers still discussed, but their voices had faded into seeming mumbles. He glared at Celi's back, then turned away.

**XXX**

He didn't escape dinner with all the family. Celi had joined the king and his advisers, for the sake of appearances since all of them knew how much people gossiped and spread informations. These pieces of informations got always distorted; and the rumours were born to the detriment of the royal couple.

The ex-Queen couldn't warm up to the king. She didn't break her promise as she didn't blame him, but she only talked in mono-syllables, which made things paradoxically more stressful. People knew her as a cheerful, bubbly woman. To see her so cold and distant was enough to indicate the degradation of her relationship with the king.

The tension around the table refused to lessen as if they were walking on a thread. People were either too focused on their foods, or zoning, holding their forks for too long and not even aware they had picked up new pieces of meat from their plates.

Face low, Yuuri glanced, under his black eyelashes, at every person around. He was the designated culprit for this awkward atmosphere, for this state of stress and mistrust. They silently knew he felt responsible; on the other hand they noticed the king had nothing to say, and his face remained perfectly composed. He was eating slowly but with an apparent appetite. His food was all that mattered.

"Your majesty," Gwendal eventually said. "I'll have new documents to show you this evening before your going to bed. It'll only take a few instants."

Yuuri gulped down the lump in his throat but kept munching, without looking at his adviser. Calmly, he said:

"Fine. I'll see what it is." _The moment has come._

**XXX**

When the hour arrived, the sky had turned ink-dark for already a couple of hours.

Gwendal knocked on the king's office door. Yuuri was leaning against the mantel piece, a fire turned on. The burning wood was cracking. His black eyes reflected the vividness of the flames.

"Your majesty, here are the documents I wanted to show you."

Yuuri didn't even address his adviser a glance. He took in a mild breath, his eyes blinking just once as the near warmth made them dry.

"Put them on my desk."

Gwendal looked at him intently and headed for the desk. He lay the documents.

"We need to see together what they are."

Yuuri didn't respond. Gwendal could only see his back, from his new spot. As the king remained wordless, Gwendal went on:

"We have discussed on your engagement with Lord von Bielefeld. It has come up to us...it is a necessity for you and for Wolfram to put an end to your betrothal. Not only would it allow Wolfram von Bielefeld to go on his duties, with a peace of mind, but it would allow you to court whomever you want to frequent and maybe, marry one day. Wolfram needs not to fail his duties, and you have to be free to choose your own fiancée. We have talked about the advantages for you to find a woman, as it has always been what you wanted, as you showed it when lady Elisabeth came to visit us. So please, can you sign these documents?" The question was pronounced slowly, with an accentuation on each word.

Yuuri straightened at last, but didn't turn around, nor look over his shoulder to notice the long parchment that Gwendal was designing with his hand.

"This is a document for you stating that the engagement is over, that you are free from any emotional attachment that attached you to Wolfram von Bielefeld. It also prevents Wolfram from courting you, pursuing you or trying to approach you on such terms that would go beyond professional and respectful boundaries. He has no right to behave like this any-more."

_They're trying to make Wolfram look guiltier so that...I don't feel too sick over this and sign the document quickly. And then, they'll take him away from me._

Yuuri finally averted his eyes away from the fire. He looked over his shoulder with slowness, and then into Gwendal's blue eyes. The latter felt some surprise at picking no emotion in the king's gaze. Yuuri walked towards him, in a slowness that the older man wasn't used to, from the usually cheerful monarch.

"Where do I sign?"

His voice lacked emotion, too. It was as flat as a ground, as empty as a hollow tree.

_He doesn't even fight to defend himself. _

Gwendal repressed any tip of anger he felt pointing at the surface of his cold and impassible demeanour. He took the document back and handed it to the king. Yuuri browsed through it, and with a determined hand, signed with a dark and beautiful handwriting.

.

.

.

_If they announced the end of the engagement in the morning to the people, then I have time. _

As he took place on the window seat of his private cabinet, Yuuri could see light in Wolfram's bedroom. At this moment Gwendal was surely announcing the end of their betrothal to Wolfram. No shouts. No noise. Nothing. The king waited for the light to switch off. When it did after a few minutes, he waited an hour again. Then, when he was certain that everyone had gone to bed, he got up and headed towards Gwendal's office, with his own document in his hand.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**No money made from this fanfiction. Only for free entertainment.**

**Thank you, as usual, reviewers! Very interesting comments and questions asked! I thank you for your attention :)**

**WARNING: you may find, for some of you, that Shinou is a little bit OOC. However, seeing how he's acting in the anime, I think that him giving a harsh "reality-check" to Wolfram not very out of place (or strange). In any case, I'll let you judge by yourselves. **

**7\. To Fly Away**

_**The Act of Persuading**_

"What are you going to do, now?"

Yuuri shook his head, face in hands. Sitting on one of the Sage's armchairs, he hadn't touched his tea. It was getting cold.

He was too nervous to speak. It felt like he was constantly standing near a cliff. And that there was an earthquake. And stones rolling down the hill behind him. Murata sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I should have known. Nothing."

"I can't believe...Wolfram.."

"You do know, I hope, that things are not going to be the same for you, from now on."

"Of course, I do."

"And as far as your engagement is concerned...you know there are going to be some repercussions."

Yuuri bit his lip when the truth was to painful to admit. He opened his mouth, but then said nothing.

Murata had long observed his friend's relationship, in silence and with discretion. He was a third party; with a status of an outsider, he felt able to give some sort of logical and impartial hindsight to Yuuri in a calm way impossible for the king to replicate, since fear and anguish blurred his own mind.

"You've both misunderstood each other," Murata added. "On one hand, you struggle to understand Wolfram's feelings and on the other hand, he doesn't quite grasp the reality of our world. I wish you had brought Wolfram to Earth, only the two of you, so that he could witness what two men together can live in a conservative society. Maybe would it have opened his eyes. This would have been a way for you to lift the pressure off your shoulders."

Yuuri said nothing. He mulled over his friend's words, gaze somewhere on the carpeted ground of Murata's bedroom, at Shinou's temple.

"But you never thought of that. Not a single time. Don't be angry at me, I do understand the way you've been reacted to the situation that this accidental engagement has put you through. I'm not saying everything is your fault. You've lacked some serious advising on the subject. But, at the same time," Murata also showed he was no longer the fifteen-year old highschool boy he once had been, "you did know that this engagement has taken proportions that went beyond the joking aspect you first wanted it to stay in. The people that you lead has grown to see both of you as their two future married leaders. Five year after you slapped Wolfram von Bielefeld's cheek, your engagement has grown more and more serious. And against your better judgement, you decided not to consider it and try to put it to an end, on proper terms. How did you think the situation would evolve?"

Yuuri had fallen quiet, eyes downcast.

"Most importantly...Wolfram has fallen in love with you. You kept rejecting him, which is understandable. You remained blind to everything he was doing for you. Once, I told you I hoped you'd realize how much he counted for you, how much worth he is. Why did you take the kingdom, your role as a monarch so seriously but not Wolfram and the specific bound that tied you together?"

Murata's eyebrows shaped into a slight 'V'. He scratched his nose, staring pensively at the dead-feeling king: "Have you ever...liked Wolfram?...At least, once?" There was a genuine tone in his voice because while Murata was rather a clear-sighted man, the topic of his friend's relationship with the petulant blond had started to leave him kind of puzzled. There were signs from which the Sage assumed the king was actually feeling something for Wolfram. Yet at the same time, the shadow of Yuuri's native planet's bigotry still lurked inside those big dark eyes of his.

Yuuri's chest swelled with each nervous breath he took. Hands still hiding his face, he remained a closed book.

"I guess you must be happy," Murata said as he headed towards the buffet. There was a heater upon which water was kept warm in a teapot. He grabbed it and poured some again for Yuuri in a new cup. "At least, now, both of you had a good reason to cancel the engagement. Do you know what people are telling?"

"...What?...Telling about what?"

The Sage was choosing a tea with a calming and soothing effect in a box: "About why you shouldn't marry von Bielefeld."

Yuuri shook his head. Murata said:

"Many people think your relationship with lord von Bielefeld is absolutely one-sided. Nothing serious here, since people are accustomed to arranged marriages among royals and nobles. However, as they know you come from another world, with foreign principles, they have also been aware that you abhor this type of marriage. And so, in spite of you initiating the engagement, they think you want to eject Wolfram from his current position as your fiancé.

People have actually murmured a lot about your attitude: your attention drifts more and more to women, instead of lord von Bielefeld. They also say that you have already found a replacement, a woman, in fact. Some have been quite persuaded that you do have a woman on the side, already. That she's going to take the place as your fiancé, and why not, as your future queen. Moreover with Wolfram von Bielefeld's temper, you were about to send him back to his uncle's state to protect your future wife from the blond.

And then, logically...with a wife, you can have sons and daughters of your own blood.

Yes indeed, a woman has this advantage. She could also be a warrior: the kingdom doesn't lack strong women trained to battles and wars. A wife has decidedly more than what Wolfram von Bielefeld could bring to _the king_.

This is what lord von Bielefeld has been hearing on a daily basis for around a year now, as your relationship started to get quite rocky until it exploded into this argument that even people outside the castle could hear...and made you leave for a whole month."

Yuuri closed his eyes once again, as he let the words sink into his mind. The gravity they carried couldn't attenuate the ever growing stress and guiltiness he had been wearing like a second skin.

"How do you think Lord Von Bielelfeld has been feeling since? I conjecture that he loves you so much that he wouldn't have left life without having seen you, at least a last time. That might be a reason why he's hold on so well, beside being originally strong himself. But finally, it is only for him to realise, he's not even a fiancé, not even family...not even a friend to you."

Yuuri's heart hadn't hardened, in spite of all these reigning years. However, crying was something he had taught himself to keep for himself. Now, just as the truth was presented to him, he couldn't shed tears.

**XXX**

"Why do you have paper sheets and a quill, just there?"

Wolfram felt his guiltiness rise up as though he had been caught red-handed. His fingers fidgeted around a small piece of paper. It was all wrinkled from all the over-reading he had made.

Shinou stood, crossed arms at the entrance of his doors. His piercing blue eyes stared at the emaciated silhouette that the bed curtains were half hiding. Shinou's eyes drifted towards the small piece of paper.

"You wanted to answer him?"

As Wolfram was unable to answer, Shinou sighed and, silently, made a few steps forward.

"Did I use my own magic for nothing?"

"I'm...sorry...I'm..."

"Don't. I want you to use your brain. Why do you want to write to him? I thought you made it clear you want to cut contact with him."

Shinou saw Wolfram tense up, his shoulders narrowing.

"What did he write?" the dead king asked. "Oh I guess."

_Dear Wolfram,_

_I'm so sorry. You must feel so weak at the moment, and I have not words enough to tell you how I regret everything. I've been told you don't want to talk to me and wish to be alone. I'll respect your wish. I just hope we'll have some time to speak and try to fix things, even if it sounds like lies to you. But I'm not lying. You need to rest and to recover properly, so I have to step away. Still, if you want to open up to me and have a talk with me, I'll gladly run to you. _

_Whether or not you believe me, you mean a lot to me. I'm sorry for giving _

_you reason to think otherwise for not coming sooner here._

"After all he did against you, after all you have_ seen _from Conrad's memories, which he doesn't mention AT ALL in that letter; " Shinou went on, "you still want to give in your indulgence? How many times do you have to be nice to him, Wolfram? Don't you want him to learn his lesson?"

"I am angry at him..but he has every right to be, too, after everything I said...I disrespected him and his family once again...This time, he ran away. Is it not the saner reaction?"

Shinou remained silent because he pondered over this.

"True...If the Great Sage had dared say those things to me back in my time, mh, I wonder how I'd have reacted...And he and I were only brothers, so I can imagine that is worse for two people engaged together," Shinou drawled the last word with slyness; but then, looking up the ceiling, arms crossed, hand holding his chin, he added: "however, you on the other hand you and Yuuri are not in love, and aren't even friends. Oh, sorry, I mean Yuuri does not love you, you do, of course...So I wonder why he took things so seriously. Maybe he really wanted to get rid of you..."

Shinou watched as Wolfram sank deeper into sadness, shoulders drooping. He hoped his descendant would open his eyes at how much energy he was wasting on Yuuri, and the waste repeated again today with Wolfram's intention to reply to Yuuri.

He watched as Wolfram's hand quivered around the quill, small ink stains dirtying the paper sheets laying on his portable desk. All Shinou could decipher from Wolfram's writing was a bent 'Y'.

"How can you forgive someone who knew you were so sick that your own brother had to betray you and your wishes, and who took advantage of that to get closer to someone else? Yuuri was with that woman. You'd be completely stupidly blind to deny what he _must have done_ with her... And she belongs to his world. Do you think Yuuri hasn't taken that into account? He wants someone who understands him, and you're probably not on the list right now.

"He wanted you dead, Wolfram. Not only he made it clear he doesn't see you as someone worth his time, but he doesn't want you as his fiancé, he doesn't want you as a friend either. He probably slept with that woman while you were agonising in the temple. He doesn't love you. Let me remind you of something: you are not a woman. You'll never get to the level of a woman, body-wise, ever in his eyes.

Remember."

Shinou flew towards the end of the bed. From his new place, he spotted drops falling on Wolfram's blanket but the blond didn't make any noise.

"So what were you going to do with this paper?"

_I was about to give him a chance. _

_A chance to explain himself, and to forgive me. A chance for us, if ever we had to part our ways, to leave without personal issues behind us. _

_I wanted both of us to come out clean of this mess. _

_Why did I become such a weak man? _

**XXX**

The darkness of the night was no enemy to the king as he sauntered through corridors, with cautious steps. He seemed to merge easily with shadows and the moon herself seemed to smile at his boldness, encouraging him to walk on, as he met no guard.

The way to Gwendal's office shortened until he caught sight of the elegant design of the doors. He opened them. They barely cracked.

He scanned the room, spotted the desk and marched on to take back the annulment document. The parchment was rolled into a neat tube, wrapped closed by a blue ribbon. Yuuri unwrapped it, considered it a few seconds, his fingers lingering over his own and still fresh signature. Then, he slowly tore it in two and threw the two pieces of paper back at their place.

As though nothing had happened, he put down his own document on Gwendal's desk.

Now, glancing a last time at the evidence of his earth-shattering act, Yuuri walked back to the doors and gasped as he heard footsteps. His perceptions had all improved over time._ Gwendal had left his own bedroom_. Did he never sleep?

_Shit. _

Yuuri gathered his determination and quickly dashed off to Wolfram's bedroom. Fortunately it was only a short path to borrow before he reach the blond's bedroom.

The complete darkness and the fact that he wasn't familiar with Wolfram's own chamber made him halt in his steps, and hesitate. When his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, he recognized the shape of the bed, smaller than his own. His nostrils perceived the strong fragrances from medicines.

"Wolf," his voice quivered as he sat down on the bed, his heart pounding so fast that he feared it might wake every person sleeping in the castle, if it had not already raised Gwendal's suspicions.

**XXX**

Wolfram moaned as he turned on his back, crushed by irresistible exhaustion. His falling asleep had been quite arduous. Even in dreams, the end of his engagement had been pursuing him.

He blinked several times as a voice stirred him awake, but in such a gentle way that he felt more dazed and curious than bothered. And in this presence, he didn't feel threatened...Only this presence could bring him some sense of immediate security. Then it meant...Wolfram sniffed the air and right away, his brain detected the familiarity of this scent.

"Yuu...Yuuri...?"

"Wolf, please, wake up."

He felt a mellow hand tugging at his golden locks and pulling them behind his ear with what Wolfram was afraid to mistake as tenderness. When Yuuri's skin came into contact with his, he let the pleasant warmth overwhelm him. He frowned then asked, his voice dry and hoarse from his slumber:

"Yuuri, what are you doing here-"

"Wolfram, please, come with me."

Wolfram's befuddled mind had a hard time to connect all the dots together. What did it mean? Was he still dreaming?

"...What?"

"Let's go to my world, now," Yuuri said, in a tone that betrayed his anxiety and stress. He seemed in a hurry and was glancing at the door several times. Wolfram frowned, feeling Yuuri's anguish contaminating him.

"What are you doing here?"

Yuuri sighed, closed his eyes.

"I tore the annulment document... I was just thinking..I just want to have some time with you...There are so many things we need to talk about, together, without a third party trying to interfere." Sweating, Yuuri chafed his neck and his face again. "So please, will you go with me?"

Wolfram's eyes widened and he would have refused, and with violence, as the memory of his recent confab with Shinou was way too fresh in his mind. He still hurt at the words-the truth- that the first king had spoken with crude honesty. Worst, Gwendal's announcement of the end of the engagement didn't improve Wolf's resentment.

This tiny part of him, that he despised so much, this tiny part that maintained his hope though started to flicker and to rekindle. Deep inside, he felt again the urge to have some sort of explanation with Yuuri, and to understand him and his world...and to be alone with him again.

Shaking like a leaf, from head to toe, Wolfram nodded. First weakly then with more assertion. Was he dreaming? _I can't believe my brain is tricking me so hard in making me think Yuuri would destro__y__ the ratification of the __cancellation.__I should just...push him away and say 'no'. _

Without a word, Yuuri slid his hands beneath Wolfram's back and knees and, as delicately as possible, the king lifted him up from his bed. He startled at how hot Wolfram's body felt. He was in no way completely recovered, and his fever was still maintaining a leash around him.

_We're leaving...Really leaving? _Wolfram kept wondering, his head resting against Yuuri's. He felt both of them moving towards his personal bathroom, the door creaking softly.

Yuuri stepped closer to the bathtub. He summoned his power and instantly, water sprang from the golden tap, filling the recipient. He stepped into the bathtub, his arms holding Wolfram tighter and closer.

When it started to whirl around them, Wolfram was certain to have heard his bedroom's door opening again and Gwendal calling him. But then, water engulfed the couple in a swift move and a formidable energy rushed them through a liquid way.

Wolfram's body met the tepid water, but strong arms were protecting him, cuddling him against a warm chest.

All he could hear, as water sent them to Earth, was the strong beating of a heart that was not his yet.

_I, the king of Shin Makoku, Shibuya Yuuri, declares on this day 26th September that I transmit some of my power to the first adviser, former Chief of the State, lord Gwendal von Voltaire, son of former Queen Celi. It means that in my absence, lord von Voltaire will act as your king by royal permission, and as such, the people and all his advisers are under his rule and must consider and respect him as their own true sovereign. _

**TBC.**

**A/N: This is only a short part of Yuuri's document. I may give the full version of it in another chapter. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**No money made for this fanfiction: for free entertainment purposes only.**

**Thank you very much to the reviewers! Very interesting comments as usual! Yes, Wolfram did insult Yuuri and his parents again during their argument. Wolfram also sees this departure to be a good opportunity to be alone with Yuuri and fix their problems, that's something he really wanted! Yes, Gwendal won't be happy about knowing exactly what Yuuri has done. ;) :) Thank you very much again!**

**WARNING: long chapter ahead.**

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**8\. Staying still**

_**Clearing things up**_

They emerged after a few seconds, their mouths gaping for air. Yuuri soundly inspired before his gaze darted around, identifying his home bathroom, and fell on Wolfram. The blond too was breathing a bit noisily, trembling, his hand still clutching Yuuri's damped shirt, his soak hair glueing to his king's chest. He was curled up against Yuuri as though the temperature was too low for him.

"Just wait a second," Yuuri whispered, worrying about accentuating Wolfram's cold. Wolfram gently moved away from Yuuri, his shaking fingers relaxing and releasing their hold. With still harsh breaths, Yuuri rose and plodded towards the cupboard. It was crowded with lotions, hygiene supplies and of course clean towels. After getting a blue one and a yellow one, he first wrapped the blue around Wolfram and then covered his own shoulders, too.

"Come," he said again, bending arms open to scoop him up. He could feel with his fingers Wolfram's skin's goosebumps as he secured his hand around his legs. His other hand, against Wolfram's back, sensed his shoulder blades. Water streaming on their path because of their damped clothes, Yuuri softly opened his bedroom door and immediately, settled Wolfram down on the bed. He reached out for the bedside lamp and for once since their meeting, a light, even though very weak, allowed them to become visible again.

Silence followed.

Wolfram was keeping his face low, gaze on the ground. He felt as much tension as Yuuri did. Hesitating, in a shy way, he started to rub his hair dry with the towel. His blond hair, darkened by water, started to curl again.

Yuuri loosely made his hair dryer with an insecure hand, too. He rested his towel on the chair's arm. He avoided looking at Wolfram. He wasn't sure of what would happen next. There had been a purpose when he decided to bring him here, at his home place. However, now, to see Wolfram averting his eyes, to see both of them in his own world, to realize at last that they were alone...Yuuri wasn't certain at how to handle their new found "intimacy", despite having been countless times alone with Wolfram.

"What is Gwendal doing?" Wolfram asked. "I think I heard him...". Yuuri nodded feebly, his heart racing at the thought of Gwendal's uncertain reaction. He looked at Wolfram who rose green eyes in the dim light. His face expressed worry, too.

"I did, too," Yuuri answered.

"We left and I didn't explain him why...Did brother know?"

Yuuri shook his head negatively. Wolfram's eyes widened.

"...What?"

"I didn't tell him beforehand. I left a letter for him, and an official declaration for the kingdom. No one knows...Except Greta."

Wolfram's surprise turned into stupefaction.

"...Greta?" and then, the memory of Greta bringing him Yuuri's very small letter during his lunch before Shinou came in, sprang in his head. His heart beat stronger as though it was about to pierce his chest. "The kingdom has been waiting for you return," Wolfram went on. "They're going to...get angry at your absence, _again._"

Yuuri sat down on his chair, hair dishevelled as he wiggled his head. He pinched and rubbed the slight bridge of his nose, as a drop of water ran down it.

"I will explain everything since I owe you the truth...I've handled things for the kingdom's affairs and all the things linked to this.. I've notified my holidays and the people is already used to seeing me leave for several months. They know I have a family here. You don't have to worry about this."

Wolfram gave him a weary "easier-said-than-done" look before dropping his gaze again. He was feeling terribly conflicted: on one side, he couldn't help but be happy to be here with Yuuri, he had dreamt about that opportunity; on the other hand he was feeling sort of guilty and responsible. Even now, Yuuri didn't look quite...at peace as though he debated again on whether or not he was right to bring themselves there.

"I apologize for waking you at night...You probably need lots of rest," Yuuri pointed out as he noticed Wolfram's purple rings under his eyes and how drooping his shoulders looked. Wolfram didn't respond, keeping the wet towel around his him like a shield. To see him so tired, so skinny, so helpless and so unlike his usual self, Yuuri felt the urge to...

No. He dropped his hand back to his side. He sighed and raised from his chair, and opened his wardrobe. His shelves were full of clothes; there'd be no problem lending some clothes to Wolfram for the time being as Wolfram had grown to appreciate Yuuri's more casual and "Earthen" style. Additionally, Wolf actually loved wearing...Yuuri's clothes when they had no work to do. Like borrowing him a hoodie, or one his jackets for a stroll. He chose a cosy but light pyjama.

"You should change your shirt, it's damped...Or perhaps, you want to talk again?...I know there must be things you want to ask but you look tired..."

Wolfram nodded: "I want to sleep," and he added, quietly: "Alone."

Yuuri's chest heaved with the pain Wolfram had just risen within. He finally acquiesced, fighting down his desire to use his magic to calm Wolfram's fever. He stayed there, before pointing quickly to his bedside nightstand.

"I keep medicine in the drawer. Headaches and everything else. Clean water here, if you want. They have no secondary effects on Mazoku people."

Wolfram nodded. Without saying much, he grabbed the clothes Yuuri was handing out. He waited for Yuuri to get out before taking off his own clothes. He heard Yuuri heading toward the door, grabbing the handle. There was a long pause during which Wolfram wasn't sure of his king's actions but then, as he was about to look and ask at last what was wrong, he heard a soft: "Sleep well."

And Yuuri was gone. Despite their "reunion", now it seemed a wall had raised again between the two of them. Wolfram felt his guiltiness tightening his chest: it was in his power to make things better by forgiving Yuuri right away. But he couldn't give his own forgiveness. This bedroom had probably sheltered Yuuri's intimacy with that woman.

**XXX**

Yuuri gently closed the door behind him. As though he had been roallercoasting, he eventually allowed himself to drop the tension. He took in very long breaths to clear his mind. Wolfram was finally home. With him. The possibility of fixing things was just there, so vast, so reachable...So frightening. Now everything was between his own hands, there would be no adviser, no godfather to tell him what to do. The thought of being now his sole own adviser scared him more than he wanted to admit.

He stayed in the corridor, darkness surrounding him, hand against the wall to support himself.

Yuuri paused a moment before swallowing the lump in his throat. He tried to process everything he had provoked. His decision to keep the engagement, his renewed _holidays_, the unknown reaction from Gwendal and the people...

He chanced a look again at his bedroom's door. No noise.

He inspired air then went to the bathroom. He had let his phone there, on the sink table, when Conrad had suddenly appeared out of nothing and Yuuri had hurled himself to Mikari's car.

He checked the screen, curious. As he expected, a few minutes had passed there, as if what they lived in Shin Makoku represented just a blink of an eye.

There was a message from Hana; reading her name secretly appeased his mind. Yuuri pressed on the message icon. She wanted to know if everything was all right because she was worried. He shook his head, as the temptation to read all the messages they had exchanged grew all of the sudden. He turned his phone off then took a towel and wiped the corridor dry.

When he was finished, he chose Shouri's bedroom for his night location and let himself fall on the bed

**XXX**

The sun soon raised, enough for Yuuri to wake up early. His aching body felt like weighing a ton! He went downstairs and prepared a breakfast in the kitchen. His own gestures were clumsy, nervous yet not void of determination. He had united on a tray everything Wolfram loved eating in the morning. Fruits, chocolate, small pastries, tea with honey. He felt confused at the meaning of the dreams which had haunted him during the night: were they revealing how stressful the situation with Wolfram made him? He had been running and was always late in each of those dreams; a terrible sense of loneliness had been following everywhere he went; a heavy atmosphere had fed his own anguish. He dreaded to fall asleep with dreams that showed him how alone he was...

**XXX**

He hesitated, his feet fidgeting.

Fingers unstable, he knocked on the door. No answer came out. Yuuri gave up and entered, as soundlessly as he could. Wolfram was still asleep. Face buried in the cushions, blanket tucked until his cheeks, half concealing his face, he looked like an angel. Yuuri remained utterly silent as he set the tray on the desk, reminding himself that Wolfram needed calmness. He approached the bed, heart racing again.

He caught sight of his own towel, the yellow one he had just used the night before to dry his hair. Strangely, it was tucked underneath Wolfram's jaw and cheek, his fingers clutching it loosely.

"Wolfram," Yuuri said.

The blond's eyes fluttered open.

His golden eyebrows twitched into a frown and his gaze refocused on Yuuri. Yuuri couldn't help but smile.

"Hi."

Wolfram responded a few seconds later, still drowsy:

"Hi, Yuuri."

"Did you sleep well?"

The blond kneaded the blanket off his face: "It could have been better..." He rubbed his sleepy eyelids.

Wolfram inspired again. Yuuri had done something with that woman, he was sure of it...yet, oddly he hadn't smelt any female scent on this bed. Then he wanted to slap himself: of course, Yuuri wouldn't do any thing under his own parents' roof...

"Did you use the medicine?"

Wolfram shook his head.

Yuuri nodded in acknowledgment as he sat all his weight down on his chair, allowing a small distance between them. Here they went again. The embarrassment came back, preventing them from making eye-contact immediately.

"Are you hungry?" Yuuri finally inquired, scratching his nose.

The green-eyed mazoku glanced at the breakfast tray in slight curiousness: "Yes, but I think we need to talk," Wolfram said, and lifted his face to stare into the black eyes. One of them had to start somewhere. "You brought me here; I think that's not for sight-seeing purposes only."

He took into a sitting position and rested against the pillows. Yuuri averted his eyes.

"Wolf...Your pyjama shirt isn't buttoned."

They both blushed and Wolfram quickly pulled the blanket upward.

"Stop cutting around the bush, Yuuri, tell me...Tell me everything." He was feeling his blush spreading on his face.

"Fine," Yuuri swallowing his saliva, his eyes lingering for a second more on Wolfram's bare neck and start of torso. "I don't really know where to begin."

"Tell me for Gwendal then. The declaration and everything else..."

"Okay," Yuuri smoothed his face. "I designed him as the king for a short period of time."

A gasp escaped Wolfram's mouth. His face became whiter than snow.

"Wh...Why, Yuuri? What did you do?" Wolfram tried to catch his breath, his gaze sliding to the blanket as he was trying to make sense of his disbelief.

"Yuuri...Do you know what consequences can result from that? For you? Or even for Gwendal?!"

"I know, I know, but..." the dark-eyed man could feel his heart racing so hard that he was on the edge of fainting. Now that he was pronouncing his written words out loud, to someone else, the reality of his decision struck him more cruelly as if singing to him what an idiot he actually was. "I think...that was the best thing I could have done for the moment. I just...I just can't."

"Can't what?"

"I just can't any-more. Being the king. I have to get rid of my role of a king, even if it's for a short time...I need to..." his breathing got louder: "to get away from it."

Green eyes widened and stared. "...Yuuri..."

Yuuri looked away. "I know, it's so selfish of me, I shouldn't do that! But..." He did feel he was undergoing some burn-out. "I think things would be worse if I keep doing that, now...I need someone else to take care of these things. Don't even think guiltiness isn't eating at me right now. I'm giving the impression to give up on my people, I'm so aware of that that it made me sleepless on several occasions. However I need to take some distance from this job."

The words sounded harsh and in a way, unreal into Wolfram's ears. To hear that Yuuri couldn't take his responsibility as a king any more increased his own guiltiness and feeling of having failed to understand, support or even listen to him. He felt sorry for him, but he was at a loss for word since this sort of confession was something he'd never expected from Yuuri. What could he say to comfort him? What could he do to lift the weight crushing his heart?

His voice weak, he said:"Yuuri...You've done the best you could..."

When Yuuri raised his eyes at him, at last, the dark eyes were shining with immense remorse. They were getting wet with shame. It took Wolfram wild horses not to hold his hand.

"Are you...disappointed in me, Wolfram?"

The blond quickly shook his head.

"No, no...If you really need to get some rest from your job, as a king, I will support you..." A light of fear, though, flashed in the green eyes. "You don't intend to abandon your position, do you?"

"No," Yuuri denied straight away. "I don't hate being a king. I don't hate ruling over my people...Can I be more than a king, though?"

His question arose some emotion within Wolfram, in this dark cavern that his own heart was at the moment. He swiftly decided to cast it aside for the time being. Conrad's memories were trying to intermingle with his emotions. Yet, this was no time for being or acting irrational. He could still taste the bitterness of his actions's consequences, leaving him utterly humiliated.

"Did you address anything else?"

"I did... I learnt that a rumour has been spread throughout the kingdom about your illness. You're one of the most important persons of the kingdom. You being absent and away from your duties, from you work has raised a lot of suspicions. Your brothers, Gunter have feared lack of privacy about your own state. They were right. Many people have started to gossip, and now they think you have some incurable disease that could be quite contagious. They have been more and more worried. With Gunter's help, I listed every symptom you have. I have urged Gisela and all the doctors to give a name to your disease. Now...If any one ever has your illness, they will have to go to Shinou's temple. Here, Ulricke will heal them.

"I have to tell you...When I visited Murata that day, it was for a specific purpose beside...talking with him. I mean, I transmitted some of my power to Ulricke. She knew what I was going to do. She was worried of course. Nevertheless, she trusted me and she promised to help me and to do the best she could. So now, she officially became the first healer of the kingdom.

"...To continue...I nominated your mother as one of my advisers, too."

The emerald eyes broadened with shock.

"She's loved. She's still popular...and I know she wants to make herself useful. At least more than she thinks she usually is. She will direct every charity, every hospital, school, villages' parties attendance. This is the role I have assigned to her. I trust her own charisma and her power. I don't think she will reject that.

"I also ordered your brothers to start an investigation...about your own disease. Just before you fell ill, you probably remember there was some tumult on the west. We don't know why, but your family's name has often come back in each of our reports. From all the pieces of information we've got so far, it has always been linked with your name. The Bielefeld...And more your name than your uncle's."

"What do you mean Yuuri?" Wolfram asked with what he deciphered as fear within.

"...We aren't sure, Wolfram...I'm not sure myself...But I think...someone might have tried to kill you."

Yuuri saw shock plastering the blond's face as he realized the significance of his revelation.

"...What?"

"We're trying to discover what lays within the shadows. I'm not more advanced than that. I think- I hope- you're more protected here, for the moment, than you are in Shin Makoku. That's one of the reasons why I..." Yuuri exhaled a brutal, short breath before looking out of the window then returning his gaze to his own hands. "Nevermind. I worked all day long 'yesterday' to gather all the pieces together...Why did you fall sick so suddenly? How? Why?... Most importantly, right now, **how**? And if there's someone behind all of that...who did that? So I looked into all the new recruits we have, and all the new cooks...

Gunter told me we first thought you got food intoxication. But it could be more than that...There may be a suspect...For the moment it's all I know and have guessed. I urged your brothers and Gunter to address this topic. He was surprised that I thought about it...but I don't know...I feel it. I hope to be wrong. I don't know what I'd do if someone dared to harm you...or even touch a single hair of you."

And silence slipped between them.

Wolfram remained motionless. His eyes, however, expressed the greatest worry ever. Someone after him? Someone trying to kill him? As a soldier, as the son of the former queen, he couldn't let himself fall into panic. As the king's subject, he had to trust him, entirely, without limit.

Notwithstanding, he felt his own rage growing thick with each second: why was he the target again of some evil plan? Why did he have to become a victim? He couldn't think of a past action or even a valuable reason that would grant him such a horrible treatment, beside being a mazoku man.

He lifted his face to Yuuri.

Yuuri had done everything to ensure they'd find something. To secure his life. In his own way, Yuuri was taking care of him when everyone else was jeering the king. There was something else that triggered Wolfram's unexpected pride at the moment.

"You've guessed all of that just in one day," his lips drew a tiny smile. "You have come from so far as a king. We've trained you so well...Too well. Your senses and your capacities have augmented so much in just five years...I apologize, on behalf of all my family, for having dropped so much pressure on you."

Surprise coloured Yuuri's eyes. He was taken aback by Wolfram's avowal. Wondering, he rubbed his eyebrows: "It's not your fault. Why are you apologizing?"

"Yes, it is somehow. I hope one day, you'll be able to confide in me more. You're not alone. I..." _I love_... "I want you to rely on me...You used to do that when you became a king."

"You've always been there for me...I ought to thank you more."

Wolfram only smiled sideways.

Yuuri released a sigh, a sigh of relief which one could translate as "I feel lighter now". It probably felt so much better now, instead of incessantly locking everything up within him and not being able to find a sincere ear.

Lips close, they exchanged a long gaze before averting their eyes away from one another as they knew this was not the end of their conversation. Something else waited to be dealt with.

"I think I ought you an apology, too," Yuuri uttered quietly. "I'm deeply, deeply sorry for abandoning you when you needed me the most. I feel like such a shitty human being after what I did..." Wolfram silently nodded. "I shouldn't have delayed my comeback. I can't imagine your suffering."

"I'm better, now."

"Yes, I can see...But I still feel awful. I'm sorry."

Yuuri apologizing profusely started to weigh on Wolfram's own conscience. "Yuuri, I need to tell you something," he started, nervous. "I was dying to tell you all of this because I felt so remorseful. Like you guilt was killing me... I was so awful to you. How I've been able to say such cruel, vile things to you while you are the most important person in my life will always remain an indelible stain...I'm ashamed. Ashamed to have tried to shame you on your behaviour as a reluctant fiancé; ashamed to have uttered those insults about your mother and your father for raising you like a 'worthless coward'; ashamed to have dirtied your mother's name while she...she welcomes me here, at your place; for making you think I assumed you were a neglectful father to our daughter in front of everyone, even in front of people who have nothing to do with our family; for...spitting on you...How you didn't punch me is beyond my incomprehension...

No in fact I know. I know you won't do that against me; you won't even raise a finger against me...and I used that exact reason to act the way I did. I pushed you to your limits in an abusive way, and you ran away to escape that...Words can be so hurtful, so painful. I know how to use them, mostly against you because I know your weaknesses. At your place, I would have burnt you, cursed you. But you dropped the argument and you left, and this was the best answer you could have given me. This was the best slap to reality you've given me... Like you...I was terrified of having given you at last good reasons to get away from me and losing you." In the past, people had been executed for less than that. He considered himself lucky to have Yuuri as a fiancé, even if part of him still felt awfully insolent to have got a pass for so long, for his own brazen attitude.

Yuuri stared at Wolfram, breathing loudly. His heart was being conflicting: to hear Wolfram's admitting his own faults and the cruelty of his behaviour represented a huge relief for Yuuri. Since the beginning of their argument, he had felt similar to a free punching-ball (metaphorically wise). Wolfram...Wolfram liked him enough to acknowledge his own hurtful attitude, and the wrong of his words. Some of his accusations had been true, but certainly not the ones said above. However, remembering well what had happened between them revived wounds that he had learnt to shut.

"Wolf...I forgive you. I don't hold anything against you."

The blond's breath started to sound like a grunt due to his nervousness.

"I nearly lost you again. I think that..._helps_, sorry for the word, to put things into perspective. You need me right now."

"Thank you, Yuuri, thank you...If only you knew how much you forgiving me lightens my heart...But I don't want you to think I shall depend on you always. I should rely on my own strength first and foremost. You are the king and this is you who should get the most attention."

"Shh," Yuuri said, irritated. "You're not insignificant. You mean a lot to many people, your family, your mother, Greta!"

Wolfram held his breath. The words were on the tip of his tongue. He felt so scared to tell them. However before he could even pronounce them, Yuuri was answering him:

"You mean very much...to me, too."

Yuuri observed Wolfram. The blond was staring back at him. All his face displayed contained hope, but also mistrust and also doubtfulness. Yuuri didn't know why exactly but this type of stare from Wolfram- with all these feelings so easily visible- completely broke him down.

"Wolf..."

"Just a moment ago, I was telling myself I have to trust you. As my king."

It was rather easy for Yuuri to figure out: Wolfram was insinuating his trust starting to halt at this level. He couldn't go further, mainly with the way he had delayed his return to save him. Or perhaps, he meant something else...?

Yuuri's eyes darkened.

_He doesn't know...He can't know about Hana_. A flash of panic thundered in his dark eyes.

_No. __Conrad...couldn't have told him._ _I trust him not to have sold me like that_.

"Yuuri...I really want to trust you but you have to be honest with me...But why did you rip the annulment declaration?"

"Because I fucking don't want to lose you!" Yuuri finally admitted. "If there is someone I refuse to see away from me...It is you."

"So you take my own freedom away, just for your own selfish reason-"

"It's not what I meant! You are important to me! I'd consider you my best friend! I was afraid of losing you forever. Letting you go meant...never seeing you, or not as much I would like. You almost died...and I thought I was going to get crazy. This was like they were tearing...a part of my soul."

"You need me, Yuuri. I'll always stay there for you. You won't lose me. Not any time soon...It just hurts to be your fiancé. If I wasn't a coward...I'd ask you to break the engagement. Irrevocably and make it impossible for you to re-establish it.

"I beg you to be honest with me, Yuuri. The engagement is just for your own emotional security," Wolfram said. "Status-wise, I'd have everything to win. Emotionally...I'd be just your puppet. Not a real fiancé. What are we to each other? Because right now, you are the only one who defines what we are and what we can be. I can't even control that."

The words knocked Yuuri hard. The moment had come to be true to himself, his desire and to Wolfram. Otherwise he was sure they'd keep turning around in the same damned circle, and by his own fault. And he'd let go of his single opportunity to overcome his fear, and to know what happiness with Wolfram meant.

He plunged his face between his hands and mulled over his dilemma.

"Don't fucking leave me, Wolfram. Don't."

Wolfram averted his eyes, knowing well that his answer was a sacrifice for himself.

"You know I won't...but you make me a prisoner, Yuuri."

Yuuri started to rock back and forth in his chair, face still hidden behind his palms.

"No...I will make it work."

"What?"

"I will try to make the engagement work."

"Yuuri, don't say that to make me feel better...You're asking me to accept something you don't even want to! Do you know what you're talking about? You speak of a sort of relationship that disgusts you."

"Let that to me. I know, that's selfish from me to ask you to ignore my own prejudice over our relationship...But I feel...Something within me, every time I see or touch you...Yes, that's kind of hard for me to admit..."

"Something?...What is it?"

Yuuri gulped down his saliva, his gaze confused. He was lost at his own physical sensation when his eyes settled upon Wolf. He surely had a great affection for him...but to that point?

"I have to find it by myself, Wolf...but what I know is that...you are the only person I see myself going that far with. Will you try with me?"

He stared pleading eyes at Wolfram: "...Please."

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou. **

**Not money made from this fanfiction. For free entertainment purposes only.**

**9\. Struggling**

_**She**_

They all observed Gwendal who was sitting in front of his desk, his elbows firmly set on the desk, hands clasped before his closed-eyed face, index fingers rubbing the skin between his eyebrows.

"So...Aren't we going to stop them?" Celi asked, her anger still boiling her.

"Mother, your son and the king already left and have arrived on Earth. They are under king Shouri's protection now. Furthermore, knowing Wolfram...he probably left on his free will."

She closed her eyes in exasperation.

"It can't be possible! He was so sick, and so weak...I'm sure the king took advantage of his sickness to convince him to go."

"My lady," Gunter said, "your son has still very much deep feelings for our king. It is perfectly possible to conjecture he decided he wanted some free time with him to sort their problems."

"This is what I thought," Gwendal said, then, "even though I don't think it was a good idea for Wolfram to be blinded by his feelings, _again_. He should never have followed the king, in my opinion."

Keeping his mouth as closed as he could, his anger and his resentment were tightly kept under control. However, his fist had nearly broken his desk once the fully realisation of Yuuri's act had hit him. Conrad raked his hair with a hazy hand. He was tired and deeply concerned about his godson's actions and what they meant towards Wolf. He would have been happy in other circumstances...yet, Yuuri had been so erratic the last few weeks that Conrad didn't think he realized the way his behaviour appeared to other people.

"You are the king, for the time being," he finally said. Gwendal quickly rose on his feet, weary, and turned to the window, his shadow plastering over his desk.

"He didn't even ask for your opinion," Celi said, her fist shaking. "And now he has Wolfram...And to think Wolfram was getting used to the idea of CANCELLING the engagement and move on! I have had enough of the king manipulating his heart the way he has always done!"

"He did a lot of research for the affairs of the kingdom, from Wolfram's sickness to what is happening on the West," Gunter replied as he finally looked at the ex-Queen whose face still wore a mortified expression. "He suggested Wolfram might have been the target of assassins. For the moment...He may be safer on Earth than here."

"Mph!" Celi lifted her nose in the air, arms crossing elegantly on her belly, "oh, because he would do that solely to protect Wolfram? After the way he treated him! I'm not upset that the king has given me a position in the royal council that could strengthen my own powers: I can help more people and maybe try to salvage a little the damages the king has done recently with his absence and the way he treated his fiancé, so publicly! However, the fact he never consulted us and then ran away like a thief make me hard to believe this was the boy we once rooted for!"

"Mother, you're being harsh against the king," Conrad said, frowning.

"I agree with you, mother," Gwendal retorted, barely looking over his shoulder to address an undecipherable glance at his brother. Conrad sighed.

**XXX**

Yuuri stepped into the living-room. "Are you ready, Wolf?"

Wolfram inspired a long breath than nodded.

"I am."

He wanted to heal by himself, to recover by his own merit; however the healing was going to be way too long, all things considered. So, putting his pride aside, the ex-prince was ready to welcome Yuuri's healing powers once again in order to go back to his former self.

A genuine smile lit up Yuuri's face. This was a proof of Wolfram opening to him again. He knelt before Wolfram, who sank deeper into the sofa. Yuuri lay his hands above his fiancé's knees. His magic manifested as his usual scintillating blue light: rolling around Wolfram's limbs, it lingered there, a few seconds that he counted carefully. Wolfram's lips let out a sigh of relief and of contentment. He felt his legs again, as though the half of his body had been reattached to the torso. Yuuri pulled back as he scrutinized Wolfram's face, anxiety shaping his features.

"So?...Do you feel better?"

Wolfram shook his legs, apprehensive. "I'd like to walk..."

For three days, the blond had tried to walk, to no avail. Providing him a rolling chair and two canes, Yuuri had covered up his own guiltiness by staying by Wolf's side and aiding him in everything he needed to do.

"Let me help you," Yuuri suggested, raising to a standing position. He held out his forearm. Wolfram looked at him, blinking with surprise, before his eyes dropped on the offered arm. This was a first step to forgiveness for both of them. He rested a shaking hand on Yuuri's arm and against his will, sighed nervously when Yuuri's fingers from his other hand gently rested around his. His skin was so warm! "We're going to use the whole living-room to help you exercising..." Wolfram nodded, flexing his legs and appreciating to feel his knees bending, and have his muscles regaining sensations. Unstable, still quivering, he stood up, slowly but with determination. Yuuri's arm was more than a welcoming help at that point. Wanting to be independent the best he could, Wolfram refused Yuuri holding his two hands.

One, two steps. One for recovering their relationship. Three, four steps. Again to let their feelings being known to each other. A dozen of steps later, and they both very silently thought that there was hope for a new beginning. Without daring to look at one another, the two men kept focusing (maybe a bit with exaggeration) on Wolfram's progress, their cheeks blushing a tiny bit, guessing what the other was thinking, knowing well how much they wanted to say to one another. The courage lacked...but there definitely existed a desire to fix things up and they held on this hope, silently.

"It's great, Wolfram, you seem to recover so well!"

"Thanks, I'm a soldier after all."

"I haven't forgotten."

"You better not. I'd like to run miles now, like I used to...I guess I have to wait a little more."

_Just as we must wait for more...between us...I can't believe it...Is it really happening...between me and Yuuri? _He glanced at their entangled arms and hands. _What a simple gesture but for us, it..._

"We can still walk a little before taking the bus for the university and then after giving all the docs for your inscription, we'll buy some food for dinner tonight."

_I said "yes" because I want to try again. With Yuuri...Why? After seeing so much relief and even...happiness in his eyes when I agreed to reconcile with him, I won't be able to go back. _

"What are we going to eat?"

"I can prepare sushis...and other very traditional Japanese dishes."

"I'd love to taste them! I've seen so many pretty pictures of Japanese food in your mother's books. Your mother promised to teach me to do some of them; I'm eager to cook for the family."

"Okay, next time, we'll do groceries shopping together for a big dinner, would you love that?"

"Yes."

They pulled on their shoes as Wolfram's heart tickled with lightness and even contained joy. The feel of peace of mind and pure happiness had nearly been forgotten. He still could barely smile since life had brought to him disappointment after disappointment lately, yet, for the first time, things seemed to reorganise in a hopeful way for him. Yuuri's attitude had a lot to do in that.

He just wanted to believe it was not fake and not made out of guiltiness only and mostly, not out of pity. However, his memories (Conrad's) kept him from entirely forgiving and believing Yuuri.

They opened the door. The sky was blue, the sun still present and generous in warm rays. Nevertheless there was something autumnal in the air that made Wolfam shiver a little. He was still fragile after all. He did one step and realised with horror and chagrin that he was struggling to even do that without a stick or someone else's hand.

Yuuri observed him from the corner of his eyes. A slow realisation came to his mind. He checked his neighbourhood. He did nothing until they were out of the front yard and unto the pavement.

"Wolf...give me your hand."

Wolfram's green eyes widened and darted around.

"It's all right, Yuuri.I can walk on my own."

"You're struggling to make simple steps; we aren't going to reach the bus station before midnight...I mean I love turtles but we are busy, aren't we-"

Yuuri braced himself, laughing when Wolfram gently punched his upper arm.

"Wimp! You're bragging but wait when I'm healthy and strong again. I will run faster than you."

"Then it'll make me happy again, Wolf," Yuuri said, somewhat seriously before holding out a shaking hand. Wolfram let out a long sigh, softly rubbed Yuuri's upper arm to apologize, and considered his hand.

"Yuuri..." he said, his gaze dropping. "I want to be someone who's self-confident again...and I want to be someone you can rely on, too. For me it has often meant handling things on my own, minding my own business and ask as little help as possible. For years I've told you to resort to our presence, our experiences and our advice to become the king Shin Makoku deserved. We wanted you to become strong by asking our help as much as possible, and letting us to take care of ourselves without receiving any concern from any one else. Today, it's me who needs your help and asking for your help," his eyes took a very pensive shade, "this feels strange to me."

Yuuri pinched his lips against each other. He had lowered his hand during Wolfram's confession but his fingers remained at reach. Wolfram locked their fingers together before they started their stroll.

Yuuri felt his own nervousness reaching new levels when they started to pass in front of his neighbours' houses. He was scared and many questions passed on his mind, like an ever spinning carousel.

What if people saw them? What would they think of Shibuya Yuuri walking hand in hand with another man? Would it explain why they'd never seen Yuuri with a girl before? Their laughter resonated in his imagination. His heart pumping hard in his chest, he kept his eyes on the ground.

_Stop being so nervous, Wolfram is going to feel your embarrassment..._

The more they walked, the more, though, he didn't care about what people may mutter. Seeing Wolfram struggling to walk at a normal pace made his mind weigh with guiltiness. Somehow, he forgot that he'd thought just a minute earlier that the walk towards the bus station was going to last way too long.

**XXX**

"Here's your tea, Wolfram," Yuuri handed him a cup full with warm lemon tea. Seating beside the blond man, he was about to enjoy his own cappuccino. The tea's smell made Wolfram smile with delight as he reclined against the step of the staircase he was sitting on. He looked again at the university Yuuri attended, and that himself was about to frequent now that he was officially registered as one of its students. With interest, he noticed students' clubs' stands in the court. He would learn more Japanese and catch up for his short-comings.

"Is this a baseball stand, here?" Wolfram pointed out towards a table surrounded by young men wearing sport uniforms, holding bats, handing tracts to passer-bys.

Yuuri smirked.

"Yep, you're right. In fact they're our rival. My team and theirs have played against one another from time to time. We're getting popular and I think that pisses them off a little. One of them even tried to sabotage my personal locker in the locker room after a match where I made my team win."

Wolfram chuckled, sipping his tea again. "I want to learn about baseball, too, so that I can play against them. They won't dare to attack you ever again."

"You want to learn how to practice baseball," Yuuri asked with a smile. Wolfram raised his eyes, a little smile on the lips.

Yuuri looked at him. Wolfram was breathtakingly handsome. The way his whole face captured the sunlight, the way his features carried relief and a certain amount of calmness made his whole being glow with beauty.

He averted his gaze away, conscious of his act, and not wanting Wolfram to see how deep an impression he left on Yuuri. A thing, there, in the middle of his chest, started to pierce, both painfully...and beautifully. The Earthen world wouldn't set him free, though.

_Stupid...You are trying to solve your issues with your relationship. You even want to have more with and from Wolfram...and yet, you're still scared to show him how much he physically..._

Their time together was about to be a whole part of Yuuri's life from now onwards. Wolfram would meet his friends, attend some of his parties, go to the same classes. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. How would Wolfram integrate in his group?...And how would people react to Wolfram? And his sexuality?

The nature of his relationship with Wolfram was not something he wanted to flaunt. He refused to picture people's reactions if they knew the bound that tied them together. At home...he would have to make it clear to Wolf that they couldn't openly speak about their engagement with his friends. Somewhere inside, Yuuri felt like suffocating.

He lifted his gaze towards the cheerful crowd of students and inwardly chuckled: no matter where they were, the same circus started all over again; people gaped at Wolfram's beauty, tapping on their shoulders' friends to make them check the green-eyed man, a lot of whispers. It was amazing the way Wolfram remained completely oblivious to amorous attention; perhaps, he just ignored it.

Yuuri sipped on his drink. This thought pleased him more than he wanted to admit to himself. His gaze drifted towards his fiancé, again, his skin remembering the warmth they had shared.

"Your parents have been very kind to me," Wolfram said, snapping him out of this daydreaming, "I want to buy them presents."

"I'll bring you to an_ o-miyage _shop...I'm still pissed that my brother has given you more money than he has, to me!" Yuuri fainted a sulk.

"Ahah, that's my Earth allowance that I've never used up till now, and the money I have as your fiancé."

They chatted again, with much more lightness when Yuuri's phone rang. Hana. He was about to turn off his cellphone when a familiar silhouette made his heart skip a beat.

She was waving at him from afar, standing near an animated tent sheltering the golf club members.

"Wolf, can you please check your books?" Yuuri said as he handed the books to Wolfram. "I just have something to do over there, I won't be long."

Wolfram shrugged. "Fine, I'll wait you here."

**XXX**

The space that separated them was quickly shortened. Thanks to the crowd, he was certain Wolfram hadn't seen her. For more precaution, he pushed her behind the tent, which surprised Hana. She didn't let it stop her, though; jumping at Yuuri's neck, she hugged him.

"Yuuri! Hey! It's been a long time!"

Three days actually.

"How are you?" He asked as her perfume bewitched him, as always. She had curled her hair that day, and the wavy style suited her very well.

"Fine! But what about you? Have you been avoiding me? I've tried to call you since the party but you haven't answered to any of my calls."

"I'm sorry...family stuff..."

"Oh really?" she asked, worried. "I hope everything's fine. If I'm of any help, let me know it."

"Thanks, that's so nice. But don't worry, things are getting better."

"Great! Well, I wanted to speak about it: the party was quite horrid, you were not there, and Mikari looked so off during the whole night. Definitely not the best party I've been," she pouted as she took her phone again. "I'll write to Mikari I found you. I drove him here for something he has to look for with a teacher."

"Oh that's why you're here. I was surprised since you don't study in our university," Yuuri said.

"Yeah. Mikari is a bit late with some of his homework. You should talk with him by the way; he's been kind of weird. Anyway," she looked at him again, after finishing her message. "Will you come to my party this Friday? It'll be a lot more intimate, just a few people. Plus, in a few weeks, it's Halloween so the friends and the both of us could plan a special night-out for it."

"Yeah, that sounds great, I'll definitely come. Can I just bring a few friends, though?" he said, eyeing Wolfram as he leaned slightly backward to spot him.

"Of course, but just a few, otherwise it won't be an intimate party any more!" she added, mischievous. "The girls and I want to attend your team's training on Friday a few hours before the party. You better rock that new shirt I bought you the other day."

She shivered as the wind blew stronger this time. Yuuri noticed the goosebumps on her bare arm and shoulder. He slightly stroked it.

"It's going to be autumn soon, take something warm."

"Aw, can I have your scarf then?" she said laughing as she grabbed his silk scarf and rolled it around her shoulders. "Mh, it really looks nice. I don't have a lot in this colour."

"Mhh, okay," Yuuri said jokingly, "I'll lend it to you until Friday."

"Done deal!"

Her phone announced a new message she quickly browsed. She sighed with visible annoyance:

"Mikari won't even greet you, he says he doesn't have time. Well, he's in a hurry so I better go then. See you on Friday, Yuuri," she said, kissing him on the cheek. She winked at him as he smiled at her and watched her leave.

Her friendship was priceless; if Yuuri ever decided to open his heart about his relationship with Wolf and the feelings he had for the blond to someone of his friends' group...he felt that Hana would be the first he'd confide in.

**TBC**

**Thanks for the reviews...I usually don't give spoilers but I just wanted to "answer" some comment in the review section: I wanted to tell Wolfram is not going to flirt with anyone else. He wants to be with Yuuri. Yuuri might get a little bit jealous at some point but that's all, I'm not going to exceed these limits; since they have already too many issues to deal with and Yuuri is still struggling to accept his attraction to Wolfram, they both don't want to add fuel to the fire. In any case, thank you everyone for your attention.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou!**

**No money made from this fanfiction. For free entertainment purposes only.**

**10\. Talk**

_**Touch**_

It was past midnight when Murata had to let down his pen, stand up and look at the full moon through his bedroom window, as, with annoyance, he realized Shinou wouldn't get out so soon. The night was quiet at the Temple.

The blond king was staring at the moon with an undecipherable expression on his features. The two men remained silently beside each other, contemplating the star-full sky.

"I felt like Wolfram didn't completely go away without one of your...unexpected gifts."

Shinou's lips drew a smile as Murata hinted at a confession.

"I somewhat guessed Wolfram wanted to leave with Yuuri...However, his eyes are closed. A blind man like him can still see the truth."

Murata couldn't help but laugh, cynically amused by the first king's crazy quirks.

"You're always looking for drama."

Shinou's smile broadened as he set for a brief instant a softened gaze upon Murata. Then he looked back at the orbit.

"The Moon...This dangerous, yet so attractive feminine entity..."

**XXX**

The way back home didn't really happen the way Yuuri had envisioned it. For one, Wolfram wasn't speaking to him. Second, they hadn't gone shopping food for dinner. Third...the weird tension that he was unable to deny kept putting a distance between them.

Wolfram was acting cold towards him, with an obstinate nervous expression on his face and Yuuri didn't feel too reassured.

_If he's like that, all of a sudden...It can only be related to her...Did he see her?_

His hand was getting wet, from his growing nervousness.

Once inside the house, Yuuri grabbed Wolf by the hand. His breathing got harsher.

"Wolf...Look at me."

Slowly, Wolfram turned to his fiancé, his eyes cast downwards. Breathing harshly, he brought his other hand to Yuuri's chest and kept it there a few instants. Then he jerked it back, with a disgusted grunt.

"Tell me the truth, Yuuri," he finally said. He looked at Yuuri and Yuuri wished he hadn't. The green eyes were submerged with a worldless hurt.

"Who is that girl?"

Yuuri's heart stopped dead. It then pumped hard like a machine. He inspired a long shot of air. Lowering his gaze, he started to rub his nape. He needed some silence. Then, more courageously, he said:

"Her name is Hana."

Wolfram repressed his desire to push away Yuuri with a punch on his chest.

"So this was real...?" he asked nearly to himself.

Yuuri rubbed his face with his hands before looking at his broken fiancé.

"What do you mean?"

The glare Wolf threw at him had so much intensity Yuuri flinched.

"Did you and her...? Did you have sex with her, Yuuri?"

Yuuri shook his head. He paused before answering.

"I didn't."

Wolfram's eyes widened in shock. Then his frown grew back. Never had he wanted so much to slap someone hard in the face.

"Are you mocking me?!"

"I don't," Yuuri's voice was wavering, but didn't lose its determination.

"You liar!" Wolfram's eyes got wet, but surprisingly no tear fell. Yet...the lack of dampness didn't diminish the pain that veiled them and that reflected inside Yuuri's own black eyes. His fists were shaking hard. "I saw you...In that place! You were doing something with her! Don't tell me it wasn't sex!"

"Did someone tell you something?" Yuuri asked, his chest swelling with sorrow._ He's breaking down again. _

"NO! No one! But Shinou gave me Conrad's fucking memories and I saw both of you!" Wolfram caught the door's handle so that he didn't fall from his staggering legs. "I know your relationship with her is FAR from being innocent! And yet...yet you keep seeing her behind my back!" His eyes flickered all over Yuuri who couldn't move, powerless. "For Shinou's sake, her thoughts all over you, you stink of her, I can clearly see what she wants from you!" he emphasized the last words.

"...You saw her?"

Wolfram's face contorted into a hateful expression.

"Stop asking questions; you should be the ONE to tell me what you did with her! What did you do?!"

"We didn't do anything...Anything!" Yuuri said, looking at the ground before a firm hand made him face the green eyes again. "We didn't do anything...anything past dancing."

"Oh...because touching her legs and her ass is dancing only, now?" Wolfram was seething worse than a volcano.

Yuuri rubbed his face again, feeling suffocated by the stress that was building within.

"That's no excuse...I was drunk...and I-"

He looked back at Wolfram and oh, gosh! Never had he thought seeing Wolfram doubting him would hurt like a burning wound. He balled his hands into fists and tried to gather his disembodied spirit. He felt real fear; something was lost and he was terrified not being able to find it again.

"I didn't even kiss her. No matter how much she wanted, I didn't go further with her."

"Are you telling me the truth?" Wolfram asked. "Or are you going to lie, lie again by omission like you've been doing so well lately?"

"I am telling the truth! I've never slept with her and I don't want to! Never will!"

Wolfram's respiration was short but slow, too, as if he was processing Yuuri's words.

"So what is she to you?"

"A friend. Just a friend, Wolfram."

"Just a friend, eh? A friend...A friend you'd do things with that you have been unable to do with me...You really think of me as an idiot."

Now that the Pandora box was open, all the memories were rushing more vividly to Wolfram's mind. He felt that the memories had transported him in this place, too, in this nightclub, asphyxiating because of all the people dancing wildly, the smell of excitation, sweat and sex attacking him and his eyes settled upon a rather suggestive couple, under a mezzanine. And his fiancé being part of this couple.

"I know it's hard to believe me," Yuuri replied, voice faltering at how much in pain he could see Wolf be. "But it's the truth. I didn't sleep with her and don't want to. That night, I must admit..." he looked at his left, in remembrance of the night when he met Hana. "That night...If I hadn't controlled myself...Yeah...I might have," he shook his head. "But I didn't. Because I was thinking of you. So I ended up falling asleep, and she had finally sex with my friend, a guy named Mikari. No, you don't know him...They're dating each other now...which makes me want even less to have any sort of encounter of that type with her..."

No voice raised for a few instants. Silence settled.

"She may be a friend," Wolfram started again. His anger was still boiling within, though, for his own sake, he had to act calmer. "But she thinks of you as more than a friend. I can tell you that. I know her feelings. I don't know about yours towards her...yet, I can see she's special to you. The way you pronounced her name..." Wolfram shook his head, full of sorrow. "I wasn't even a lover to you."

"Wolfram, please, don't-"

"Some friend you are. That dude, Mikari, is your friend and yet, you're keeping an ambiguous relationship with her. And about her...What kind of woman is she to date someone, but to throw herself at you, his friend? If she's really dating him, why is she thinking of you this way?! Why?"

"You mean-"

"I mean I can see you just met her at the university. I know it and her thoughts are lingering around you. I'm used to people having feelings for you, I've always been since we've been engaged! I don't know whether or not you're clueless...but you know what, Yuuri?" Wolfram said, his stare hardening in feelings. "She loves you. And she wants more from you."

Wolfram looked away, so that he couldn't seen Yuuri's shocked expression. He took his shoes off, then peeled himself from his jacket and started to make his way inside the corridor towards the upstairs bedrooms. Yuuri quickly caught up, taking his hand again.

"Wolfram, please!"

Wolfram snapped his wrist away from Yuuri's grip:

"I'm judging you a lot for keeping someone like her close to you: she's dating someone, yet she would cheat on him in a matter of seconds if you ever give her a chance to! And you know what breaks me? What breaks me is that I have no assurance you would refuse. You're encouraging her, and you disgust me. She's dating YOUR friend, and you're engaged to ME! And this is how both of you behave behind our backs!"

Wolfram turned away and joined his bedroom, Yuuri's bedroom.

**XXX**

Yuuri was preparing his bag for the day to come. He could barely see what he was putting inside of it; not that he cared if he had taken his Economics books while he had English classes instead. No, he didn't really care. Evening had come rather swiftly, gradually diving him into a dark bedroom. Except for the intermittent birds' noise, no sound was reaching his place. He paused, his mind wandering.

He spotted Hana's gift shirt on the chair. Yuuri slowly rose to his feet, feeling like he weighed a ton. He grabbed the shirt. Hana had sprayed her perfume over it as a joke ("Yuuri is wearing a woman's perfume", which made him smirk). He gathered it in his hands, then delicately smelt the nice fabric, inspiring a long breath from it. A fruity perfume that only belonged to her.

Then, rolling it into a ball, he chucked it into the trash can.

What were they going to do? He exited Shouri's bedroom and then, made way to the bathroom. He took off his clothes and made this shower the strongest he ever had. Rubbing his skin thoughtfully, he paid attention to his neck and hands in particular, places she had touched. He couldn't help it.

_'You disgust me.'_

**XXX**

Sleep was hard to come by, and Yuuri, with regret, felt he wouldn't be able to even close one eye. Sighing with resignation, the young king took into a sitting position, the bed creaking under his weight. His insides were twisting with an increasing hunger and he winced at the sensation of his stomach eating itself. He hadn't been able to dine while sitting with his parents, Wolfram having skipped dinner under the pretext of a headache.

He wondered what he could do. Setting his feet on the floor, he stood up, staggering from the tiredness. A bit of ramen and miso soup would do, for the night. There might be even some baseball emission on TV, too, at that hour.

He opened the door...and his heart nearly stopped, again. His eyes blinked in the dark but the moonlight was enough for him to see a little. His hand quivered against the door.

"Wolfram..."

The blond was standing, in his pyjamas, in front of the open door. He was embarrassed, which Yuuri could tell despite the feeble moonlight.

"We have to talk, Yuuri," Wolfram said lowly.

Once again, both hearts were beating too hard within fragile chests. Yuuri stayed silent before giving a small nod. He opened the door wider and invited him in, shaking in anticipation. "Come in," he said with softness.

Wolfram stepped into Shouri's bedroom, with uncertainty. He spotted the bed and sat down, breathing hard. Nevertheless, he was the calmer of the two. Yuuri shut the door, slowly made way to the night stand and turned on the night lamp, allowing a dainty light to reveal their faces.

He took place at Wolfram's left.

"Wolfram..."Yuuri started, hands moist against his own knees. He was looking at his feet. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean...I don't want to pain you."

"I pushed you to do that?" Wolf's voice sounded weak. He was haunted by his guilt. After all, he had had a part of responsibility in Yuuri's behaviour. He wasn't innocent either.

"Wolf, no,-"

"Please, be honest with me, Yuuri." Wolfram looked at him. "I am your fiancé, I deserve that."

Yuuri turned to meet his gaze. Fiancé. For once, this word carried a connotation that he had never considered before. It meant engagement, trust, responsibility, honesty, friendship, confidence...love. Love.

He finally nodded. "I really was angry at you." He saw Wolfram close his eyes as if to resist to his own guiltiness. "I wanted nothing to do with you...I wanted to get away from...from everything related to you and my function as a king. I couldn't stop thinking about our last argument. I couldn't stop thinking about what you said against me. It was so painful."

"Forgive me, Yuuri," Wolfram said in a tone that made Yuuri scared he was on the edge of breaking down. But to his 'relief', Wolfram only looked sadder. His shoulders were slouching.

"You've already been forgiven, Wolfram," Yuuri promptly said, squeezing his hand. His fingers lingered on Wolf's; his skin was so smooth. "I already told you...When I saw you nearly dead, I thought I was going to..."

"Going to what?"

"To become crazy...I would lose everything if you died."

Wolfram felt a sudden warmth rushing through his whole being. As a response he only brushed his fiancé's fingers.

"Was she already a friend?" he murmured, more because he couldn't ask without faltering his voice.

Yuuri shook his head briefly, stroking his eyebrows in nervousness. He was tired.

"No...We met that night."

Wolfram nodded. She wasn't a long time friend...

"She became my friend's girlfriend; so of course I often see her around..." Yuuri précised as if answering his companion's silent question. "But I will repeat it: I don't have any intention to sleep with her...I don't see her in that light."

They stared at each other, testing each one's honesty.

"Moreover," Yuuri finally added. "I was going to introduce you to all my friends, her included."

Wolfram's eyes widened for an instant, with an undecipherable expression in them; Yuuri couldn't quite put a name on it. But then, just as simultaneously, Wolfram asked:

"Will you present me... as your fiancé, Yuuri?"

Yuuri looked away, with a sorry expression. Wolf's hand loosened around his. Wolfram's gaze dropped on the ground.

"I guess it means 'no'...You don't want people to know about us..."

Yuuri stroked his fiancé's back, while it took him wild horses not to wrap Wolf into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Wolf...It's not...that I don't want...But you should know here...Why did you think I was so reluctant to be engaged to another man the first time I arrived in Shin Makoku? Here, it's not like _at home_. You should see how...same-sex couples are treated. Sexual orientation freedom isn't as accepted here as it is in our kingdom. I've been taught that two men together isn't the norm, and that it is disgusting."

Wolfram raised shocked eyes at him.

"Why?...What's so disgusting between two people who love each other?"

Love, eh.

"I agree," Yuuri conceded with a feeble voice. "But I can't control what people feel and think. I would like their opinion to change. But if they don't want to, I don't think I can do much in that case."

Wolfram kept his mouth shut, too at a loss for words.

"When will I meet your friends?"

"This Friday. We have a party going on. I have a baseball training with them, too. But I think I prefer to stay home before the party...I'm sorry to have caused you so much pain. I won't do it ever again."

They watched the moon, surrounded by a few stars which promised a somewhat sunny time for the next day.

"Yuuri...Just one more thing."

"What is it, Wolf?"

The blond took in a deep inspiration.

"I'm going to accept the fact you can't speak about our engagement to people. I will play the game. However, it means Hana will still think you're single and that she may have a chance with you. No matter how well I may play a friend, I won't tolerate seeing you and her, together, flirting or whatever you're doing. I want you to make it clear you are not interested in her. I've seen her thoughts too well that she doesn't want a simple friendship with you." He raised his eyes again at Yuuri. "I can't read your thoughts, I don't know your feelings...Yet, I will try to trust you as two fiancés should."

Yuuri nodded, staring deeply into the green eyes that an amazing fire had just animated. The impression that the former Wolfram, proud, strong, opinionated Wolfram, had just come back reinvigorated Yuuri's soul.

"She knows you have some principles. She's dating YOUR friend. Of course, she's trying not to create some drama between the two of you. However, she only waits for one sign from you. You better shut down that ambiguity between you two."

**XXX**

It was an incredible relief that things were back to "normal" even if Yuuri was still sweating from how close he had been about to lose his Wolfram. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to "hide" Hana for too long. One day or another, his fiancé would have learned about her. Yet...He would have wanted in another manner.

His eyes darkened as Wolfram closed the door of his bedroom (Yuuri's). So Shinou had transmitted Conrad's memories to Wolfram's. He felt prohibited to be angry at Shinou. Yet, he couldn't help to feel violated in his privacy.

And what was that thing about Wolf reading Hana's thoughts?...Did this power come from Shinou, too? He felt slightly bothered and even irritated that Shinou had allowed himself to play with Wolf's abilities. Hana had a right to have her thoughts to herself. Wolfram didn't have to learn about her feelings this way. It also meant no private confab or simple talk with Hana was permitted, now. He would never be able to meet her alone now.

He'd waited, after Wolf and his talk, looking at the blond. Shouri's bed was large enough for two. The pale moonlight and the not so strong lamp light illuminated Wolfram's collarbone. Yuuri's eyes had settled on his neck and the first button of his shirt which was open. His pyjamas were made of white silk which kind of revealed his skin. Yuuri had felt his mouth watering. But he did nothing. Nor did his silent fiancé.

Wolfram had stood up, slowly, and said: "I'll sleep in my bedroom."

Resigned, Yuuri had accompanied him back to his bedroom. He stayed one hour behind his own bedroom, in which the man he didn't want to lose had found some needed rest away from him.

**XXX**

They both were slightly stressed as their steps led them to Hana's house. Sounds were escaping the windows and doors, from which the two men guessed the party had started. The front yard looked like an Eden with all the flowers spreading here and there, the big modern fountain and the few romantic stone benches laying on different spots. Her house could take any one's breath away. It was a mix of modern and traditional Japanese habitat, which was pleasant to the eye.

_From a wealthy family, I see_, Wolfram said to himself. It kind of made his nervousness increase: this girl was not anyone. She had a social background that matched Yuuri's; and well, she was a woman and a lovely one above that.

His fingers flexed as he was missing Yuuri's touch. A moment earlier, they were both holding hands, a habit Yuuri had got used to. Wolfram had been enjoying this progress in his fiancé's behaviour, but the road was still long...When they had got out of the taxi's car, Yuuri had let go of his hand and was now hiding his own hands in his pockets.

"Are you okay, Wolf?" Yuuri asked. Getting close to his friends' presence, his own nervousness seemed to have declined.

"I am, wimp."

"Good. You...You look good."

Wolfram looked at him, first a bit taken aback. Slowly a smile made way to his face.

"Thank you. You look good, too."

They arrived at the threshold and rang. They heard, among the noise, voices, music, a clear voice saying:

"Kitamura, can you open the door, please?!"

"Okay!"

Soon, a thin tall man presented himself as he swang the front door open. A giant smile welcomed Yuuri and Wolfram.

"Hello, Yuuri! Long time no see, man!"

The two men shook hands, pulling each other against their shoulders for a friendly hit. Kitamura turned to Wolfram. The blond kept his cool, smiling.

"Hey, a friend of yours, Yuuri?"

"Yes, my German penpal, Wolfram von Bielefeld."

"Hi, I'm Kitamura Aoko," he shook Wolf's hand. "German, eh? Cool!"

"Nice to meet you, Yuuri has talked about you," Wolfram assured, the most friendly possible. Though it felt weird to try to be so "familiar" with someone he'd never encountered before.

"Talked about me? Eh, I hope he didn't speak about me in bad terms," Kitamura said as he stepped back to let them get in.

"Haha, no, just said you were good in maths."

"Cool! Come on, you two, nearly everyone has come, we have tons of booze!" As they went across the hall leading to the main living-room, Kitamura nudged Yuuri, muttering to him: "Shit, Yuuri, your friend is going to be a success with all the girls here!"

"That...would not be a surprise..."

"His face, wow! Does he have someone because Valérie and Hinagashi are single and-!"

Yuuri gently pushed him away with his shoulder, frowning:

"Let it go, he's taken."

"Well, too bad for them!"

Wolfram's heart was pounding so hard he thought he was going to faint. But Yuuri looked over his shoulder; he gave him the kindest and most reassurance gaze ever. The living-room's door opened.

"Hey! Yuuri! Welcome!" Hana said. In spite of her short black skirt, she managed to leap above the chess game that two of her friends were playing on the floor, and threw herself at Yuuri's neck. A huge smile was curving her lips upwards, brightening her whole being.

"Hi, Hana," Yuuri said. He remembered his promise. Softly, yet firmly, he got rid of her arms and smiled in order to smooth his... "rejection". Hana blinked, wondering, before her dark eyes settled on Wolfram.

"Hi, who are you? Yuuri, is he your friend?"

There were around ten people in the room. And ten pairs of eyes turned to Wolfram, widening at the beauty who had just graced them with his presence.

"Yes," Yuuri said, as he gently placed a hand against Wolfram's shoulder. "Hana, this is Wolfram von Bielefeld, my German penpal and one of my closest friends. He's come to study here for some time. Wolf, this is Hana...She's a good friend."

"Hey, I'm glad to meet you!" Hana said, taking Wolfram's hand, "I've never heard about you before but I'm very eager to know more about you."

A short moment was passed in awkward silence as Wolfram was staring at her, with a frozen expression on the face."Yes, me too," he said with pinched lips.

So this was her. This tall and beautiful dark-haired woman who smelt like an angel. She was the one who had succeeded in being so close physically to Yuuri. A shadow veiled Wolfram's troubled green gaze.

What did he really feel for her?

Everyone came to greet them, introducing themselves to a calm, yet secretly overwhelmed Wolfram. He saw Yuuri choosing drinks from the buffet for himself and Wolf, and right away, Hana sprang to the young king's side, chatting animatedly as though long years had separated them. Wolfram felt his heart taking a quick rhythm as he wondered when the night would be over.

"Where's Mikari?" Yuuri asked Hana.

**XXX**

"So. You gave Wolfram the ability to read that girl's thoughts every time she's around Yuuri? And those thoughts can linger around him, similarly to a foreign aura, for hours?...Oooh, so devilish from you."

"I did say I wanted both of them to part. This is how people from Earth call it, no? 'Machiavellianism'."

Murata went to his bedroom's door, sighing. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Mhh...I think you put yourself into business that now has nothing to do with you...You're underestimating lord von Bielefeld's feelings for Shibuya..And Shibuya's feelings for your 'grandchild'. I think I need to ponder over this."

"Do I have to leave you alone?"

"BAM. Now get out."

Shinou smirked.

"As if I would use the door."

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**No profit made from this fanfiction. For free entertainment only.**

**WARNING: homophobic slur. **

**11\. Tip-Toe-ing**

_**Débutant**_

Yuuri took a porcelain plate from the pile.

"Where's Mikari?"

"Mikari? Aah, he bailed out at the last second. And...he didn't come to the baseball training. You didn't come either."

Yuuri raised an eyebrow, choosing to ignore her last detail:"Really? I wanted to see him; but he's been giving me the cold shoulder for a week, too."

"You too? That's weird... Since the last party, he's been acting strangely like...he seems completely elsewhere. I thought both of you talked last Friday when you suddenly left."

Yuuri froze a few instants, before picking up food for Wolfram and himself.

"...I don't understand."

Hana, hands on hips, looked at him.

"Er, when you left all of a sudden, he asked me to go to the party...and he followed you. I thought you both talked together. But now, seeing your reaction, I was wrong...it seems. You look very surprised."

Rather troubled. Yuuri's complexion paled but he quickly smiled back.

"No. We didn't talk, at all. He might have forgotten something at home."

"Yeah, probably. On Sunday, he might be training at the field. You can still check him out. Why didn't you come this afternoon, though?"

"To be honest, I didn't feel really good, I wanted to rest a little."

"Yeah, Kitamura told us you have had some insomnia lately. However, you completely stood us up, idiot," she caressed Yuuri's black bangs, her hand light. Yuuri stepped back, looking at the food at the far end of the table, pretending he wanted to choose something there. "Will you make amends, Yuuri?"

"Amends?"

"Amends for not only missing our pre-party at the baseball training, but also for not wearing my shirt...Will you dance with me?" she sweetly smiled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

There was a strong memory of another dance together, one evening at another karaoke. Mikari had been absent. She had rested her head on Yuuri's shoulder, eyes closed, peace and serenity overwhelming her.

"Dance?..." Yuuri felt embarrassed as his gaze fell on her bare legs. He sighed, looking back at the table, filling his small plate with appetizers. "I'm sorry...I think I'm still too tired to do anything too...physical, tonight."

"You speak as if we already did more than-"

"Which we didn't," Yuuri laughed as he picked a last treat for Wolf.

Hana paused, her smile fading before she took back a cheerful, yet somewhat mocking expression.

"You don't feel really okay tonight?"

"I'm sorry...Not really."

"And to think I was looking for some warmth and affection," she said with a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Pity Mikari isn't there, that idiot,"..._ she loves you. And she wants more from you._ "After all...he's your boyfriend, isn't he?" And he gave a smile, a weak smile.

**XXX**

"Yes, German. From the town of Bielefeld."

The girl at Wolfram's right was Hinagashi, and her friend beside, Valérie, a French student. Before him was seated on a pouffe Kioshi, a man with long hair and a neutral expression. Although he was the quietest of the group, he exuded a clever vibe and gave a good impression on Wolf. They were dressed in what was probably the latest fashion. And Wolf noticed Yuuri had the same style. Kitamura sat down at his left, jovial.

"It looks interesting. Are you a noble? Your name has a particle."

Wolf nodded: "I am."

Hinagashi batted her hands, like an eager child. She and Valérie loved how poised Wolfram talked. He was a real-life prince, with the good looks and the way he spoke.

"Ooh, so do you have a castle? I know, I know, my question is totally cliché but I can't help it! I'm just so curious about stuff like that!"

"I do. More like my uncle does."

Wolfram's gaze slid towards Yuuri. In a corner of the room, before a big TV screen, cheeks red with excitement, Yuuri was playing a car race video game with Takeshi, Laurent (another European student) and Akio. As he had "planned" it, that succubus Hana was standing behind them, either cheering or mocking the boys, just like her friend Yumika. The two women had just won a match against the three guys and didn't miss an opportunity to gently bring them down.

"Do you live on your own, over there?"

"No, I live with Y-...with my brothers. We own a big house together. My mother travels a lot so she doesn't really stay with us."

"Oh, that's cool. So you're a bunch of single men? And none of you is ready to settle down? You know what? I think that's the best way of living at your age!" Kitamura said as he drank a handful of beer. Wolfram didn't know what he was talking about, since Kitamura himself wasn't in a relationship as he had said it earlier, and he barely looked older than Yuuri.

"I'm not single," Wolfram said. "I'm proudly eng...in a relationship."

Hinagashi and Valérie looked at one another, their lips forming disappointed pouts. Kitamura raised an eyebrow, in silence, at the girls' reactions.

"Boohoo, and to think we had a crush on you as soon as we saw you!"

"Thank you. I'm surprised you're still single," he said with a smile. He found them, objectively speaking, pretty.

"Ah, we're still looking for the right men after all."

"What? Aren't we right, Kioshi and I?" Kitamura protested.

"I would need to stand on a chair to kiss you," Hinagashi sulked.

"Oh, women. You never know what you want. Either you want a tall man, or he's too tall for you. Either way I don't date women under 1m57."

Hinagashi shot him a wrathful glare.

_Yuuri smells so good!_ Wolfram suddenly heard, like a guitar cord snapping. His teeth were gritting, under the frustration Hana put him through. He smelled, he saw, he felt lust. Similarly to venom which slowly poisoned a victim's veins, her thoughts reached Wolf's consciousness. They were so strong that they could almost cover the music. Feeling a bit sick and disoriented, he looked at Yuuri again. His wimp of a fiancé was too enthralled by his game, to notice that Hana was sitting on his chair's back, her leg paralelling Yuuri's shoulders line from behind. Her fingers were grazing the chair back, as though they were recuperating Yuuri's warmth. He couldn't stand her familiarity, even women in Shin Makoku didn't dare to behave in such a vulgar manner with his fiancé.

"Yuuri!" he called. Yuuri's head swivelled at him.

"Uh, what?" The double black was suddenly awakening from the video game's spell.

"I want food again!"

"Okay-"

"Food? I can serve you, Wolfram, what do you want?" Hana said right away, standing up, remembering she was the hostess of the house. Yuuri noticed Wolfram's look, which urged him to serve his fiancé himself. He patted her shoulder, jumping on his feet.

"It's okay, Hana. Thank you, I'm going to take care of it."

"Did your friend taste the tempuras over there? They're really good!"

"Really? And those sushis?"

"Extremely fresh, my maid bought the salmon just an hour ago. I did some of them. I trust myself for their taste."

"Okay, one, then!"

"Roh, Yuuri, you're such a tightwad, you can give him more than one!"

"Wolf eats a lot, but he's watching his diet..."

_And blah blah blah._

Wolfram took into a deep breath, feeling his ears fuming. It really was amazing-_annoying_\- the way Hana turned every conversation Yuuri might have with anyone to a conversation that only the two of them did. And she had done this since the beginning of the party! When Takeshi had asked Yuuri about a group work, Hana had jumped into the conversation, to assure her monopolization over Yuuri... This wasn't like he needed a new servant, at the moment, in spite of being used to the best service at the castle.

"Hana, I appreciate the attention," Wolfram said. "But I trust Yuuri to choose for me. He knows my tastes." He hadn't realized how abrupt he had addressed her. She turned around from the buffet, and blinked.

"All right, then," she said with a giant smile. "Choose everything you like."

Yuuri brought him a plate full with dimples, sushis, tempuras and tiny nems. In spite of having already swallowed a portion of food worth two dinners, Wolfram salivated at the sight of his third "order". He had lost so much weight after his illness that food seemed like heaven, now.

"Do you want a drink again?" Yuuri softly asked as he set the plate on Wolf's lap.

"Water, please, it's hot here," he said.

"Okay," Yuuri straightened then faced Wolf again: "No ice cubes in it?"

"No, just water," Wolfram answered with a smile.

Yuuri dashed off towards the buffet.

"Yuuri is very caring with you," Valérie said. Wolfram nodded. It was just a pity his fiancé couldn't really stay by his side. His friends were very demanding of Yuuri's presence. It didn't surprise him that so many people loved his fiancé.

**XXX**

"What about..." Yumika started with a smile. And her smile was so _not_ innocent that everyone started to expect the worst. "...what about the 'spinning bottle'?"

Mitigating reactions elevated in the air, in a mix of protests, giggles, curious questions, and other suggestions.

"Seriously?...We aren't kids any more," noted Takeshi. "Yumika, you're still stuck to your high-school mentality."

"Hey, why not? It might be amusing?" Kitamura said, after a while, standing up. "It's been a long time since I kissed a girl."

"With your breath, what did you expect," Hinagashi replied, rolling her eyes.

"Haha, that's rich coming from someone who smells like fish-"

Hana came in between them, pushing Kitamura away from a raging Hinagashi:

"Okay, okay everyone, it sounds like a fun game, I like it and we have tons of other ideas for later. Let's start!"

_What is the 'spinning bottle'? _Wolfram wondered. Though by Kitamura and Hinagashi's argument, he got an idea of the game that didn't settle well with him. Yuuri and he shared a glance. Yuuri took advantage of the pretext to bring him his water to whisper: "Someone spins the bottle, and when it stops spinning, you have to kiss the person towards whom the bottle is pointing."

Wolfram made a face of genuine bemusement then of horror. He looked at the others who were starting to sit in circle, behind Yuuri and Wolf, on the spacious floor. Kioshi didn't want to play, and went to the computer.

"That's such a disgusting game. So everyone might kiss everyone?"

"Ehm, yeah..."

"Have you already played it?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Well you aren't going to start today," Wolfram murmured, trying his best not to yell his discontent. "You can share a plethora of microbes like this! Who knows if one of them has cavities? " he shuddered at the thought. Furthermore, in such a vulnerable situation, and being honest to himself, Wolfram wasn't ready to witness his fiancé kissing anyone else. He declined the game, pretending his girlfriend was a jealous type. Yuuri sighed at that comment, smiling with tender reproach at Wolf, inwardly amused at the irony. There had been no intention from his part, to play, moreover.

"What a pity," Valérie moaned. "You're missing something. Sometimes it's just a kiss on the cheek." She winked.

Wolfram opened his hands in a "sorry" manner: "I was sick not a long time ago, I will watch you play."

He knew when to apply his firmness. He offered her a smile full of tranquillity as he sat down on a chair behind the group.

"Yuuri, come and sit there," Hana said, pointing towards a spot before her. But Yuuri shook his head as he took place on another armchair.

"I'm tired, I will watch you, too. I just want to laugh today, if you don't mind."

"You're really not fun," Hana retorted, staring at him for a while.

Wolfram could feel her disappointment, as if his own hand was on fire. He would have relinquished in it if Yuuri's distant behaviour hadn't been enough. After all...he had spent the last hours trying to block her thoughts. No matter how firm Yuuri was in keeping a safe space between he and Hana, seeing how strong she felt for Yuuri...and what she wanted to do with him still tickled his nerves. She exercised on him a torture she wasn't unfortunately aware.

They had already danced together...and on more than one occasion, Wolf had learnt tonight. Yuuri had kept a shut mouth, but her eyes revealed more than spoken words. Nonetheless his mind recorded her inward puzzlement and incomprehension, over Yuuri's "sudden" cold attitude.

The game was amusing enough. Wolfram kept to himself he found it somehow shocking the way these youths treated these pecks on lips -and sometimes more- with so much lightness. Most of them were already in relationships, plus.

A kiss was so little for many people...Was he, lord Wolfram von Bielefeld, ridiculous for maintaining so much importance in an act that could be so intimate? Was he...so old-fashioned?

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Hana stood on her feet, the game ending. Leaning over a pensive Yuuri, she dropped a dainty kiss on his cheek. If it hadn't been for Yuuri telling her he didn't like it, Wolfram would have dragged himself and the double black out of her damned house.

**XXX**

After a number of board games which served a little to calm his nerves, Wolfram felt the need for fresh air. He went out into the Japanese garden, sat down on the wood edge of the house terrace and sighed. He found the music to be loud, and the smell of alcohol a bit too tenacious. He wished he could enjoy the night more, the games fully and laugh as carefree as the others; he felt himself angry at his disgust and contempt towards Hana who monopolized too much his poor nerves. He regretted that he couldn't be indifferent towards her.

Soon he was joined by Valérie and Hinagashi. They couldn't help but being by his side.

"Yuuri and you seem very close. So how did you and he meet?" they asked after a meaningless chat.

"How did I meet that wimp?"

"Yeah. How did you become friends?"

Wolfram chuckled at the memories.

"Well...Yuuri was new in town and...it was the first time he was practising horse-riding. He was bad at it. His horse galloped into our court and he fell down miserably in front of my own eyes."

"Poor Yuuri!"

"I was not very fond of him, at first-" Wolfram hesitated but there was nothing to lose by being a little bit personal. "However, he quickly grew on me. We attended the same 'school' and I ended up being close to him. I then went to Japan several times, and his family has always welcomed me. We wanted to keep in touch so I decided to study here."

"Oooh okay...It's true Yuuri is a bit clueless and naïve at first sight, but he's quite endearing in fact. It's always funny to us when he tells us he wasn't popular as a teenager and that he used to be bullied. Because, today he's one of the most famous guys of the campus. It helps to be a gifted baseball player."

"Yeah, he's a strong guy after all. Underneath that sweet face, Yuuri has a temper of fire. We've all heard this story where he had hit a baseball coach or whatever..."

"Yuuri wouldn't do it without a good reason," Wolfram said, though, more to himself.

"And what about you?"

"About me?"

"Your girlfriend, of course."

Wolfram wanted to leave, seeing how far his lies would go. However, as long as he would stay on Earth, lies would be a compulsory part of his life- at least temporarily. So...

"_She_'s Japanese. Pretty short black hair and bright black eyes."

"Oh, Wolfram prefers brunettes," Hinagashi gushed, laughing at Valérie's semi-disappointed, semi-amused smile.

"She's cute and funny and...a bit air-headed sometimes but I like her very much," Wolfram spoke with his heart. "She has a thirst for justice and sometimes goes into diatribes that can sound ridiculous but are actually always true. She's also a bit of a flirt but she went back to me...lately."

"That sounds cute," the girls smiled. "You're very much in love with her, right? Does she live here?"

"She stayed in Germany. She studies there."

"She should have come here, with you, at Yuuri's place. And what's her na-"

"Oh it's true you live with Yuuri!" Hana said, as she closed the sliding door behind her. She too had left the other guests in the living-room. She sauntered over the small group and gracefully, sat down at Wolf's left. As a result, Wolf tensed, a stern expression paralysing his face. "I'm glad to meet some of his friends. You must know him a lot." She looked at him, kindly.

"I do...Indeed."

"Can we talk about him?"

_NO._

"...What do you want to know, exactly?"

"...Well, what type of girls does he like? Yuuri, as cheerful and social as he seems, doesn't speak much in fact. He has never talked about a past girlfriend or whatever. I'm getting curious, truth be told. He's...kind of mysterious, to me."

Oh, as he had foreseen it, she was dying to know if she had a chance with** his **fiancé. He stared at her, just a moment, allowing her secrets to sink in. Her heart was beating hard, and for Yuuri only. No other man occupied Hana's mind. _Yuuri..._her thoughts chanted.

Wolfram felt his hands getting damped with sweat and frustration.

"Am I his type?"

"No. Yuuri prefers blondes, actually," Wolfram said bluntly, eyes hooded with shadows. He thought about that flirter Saralegui and even his childhood friend Elizabeth. "And with rarer eye colours. If he doesn't speak much or _do much_, the reason is that he's either shy, or he's not that interested. I know him, he would do moves, as shy and clumsy, as he acts, to get the girl he wants. He needs to feel something to be and do something with them. In any other cases..._you_'re just a friend. I'm pretty certain about that."

Hana's face lost her beaming smile. Her gaze somewhat dropped between hers and Wolf's hands, resting against the wood terrace, for in her embarrassment, the young woman didn't know where to look at. There was also some huge disappointment on her part.

It wasn't in Wolf's intention to put salt into wounds but he said:

"You look...disheartened. This is not what you were expecting-"

"No, it's just..."

"You're dating Mikari," Valérie said, with a smile she tried not to make cold. "Forget Yuuri."

"Who said I was-"

"It's obvious you have a_ small_ crush on Yuuri...But, if you're not into Mikari any longer, you should tell him first. You may be not Yuuri's type, according to Wolf, but he doesn't have anyone at the moment. That's still an open door for both of you. And Yuuri likes you a lot so yeah."

Hana scratched her hair and looked back at Wolfram:

"I'm going to show him brunettes are fun, too...or I'll dye my hair blond."

"He favours natural blond hair," Wolfram said, even if he had guessed her statement of becoming blond was just a joke. "But you could try blond hair for Halloween, you know."

"Pff, you know, appearances don't have much importance once you get to know the person. I don't think Yuuri is THAT superficial as to remain fixed on something as petty as hair colour!"

"No, probably not, but he remains pinned to principles. He isn't going to do any moves on a friend's girlfriend. He's not that type of guy."

... _I choose to believe._ It felt awful for Wolfram to think he might be thinking too high of Yuuri, when this was what he had always done. He had never stopped supporting Yuuri. Yuuri had all his esteem. "Mikari is his friend. I don't think he will betray him this way. He'd be too disgusted in himself...And Yuuri isn't into threesomes either."

"Fine, true. I haven't forgotten about Mikari." Wolfram saw, written all over her face, her shame that she concealed behind a more dignified air.

"And...how exactly did you meet Yuuri?" he asked, his voice getting even more serious.

"How?..."

"Oh it's true," Hinagashi said. "You never went into details!"

"Well...This was at a nightclub; I saw him and I thought he was cute, so I ended up talking to him. And we danced a little, and we talked again. With hindsight, he looked a bit troubled and even angry. But he quickly got better after a few drinks. He was very joyful and a better dancer when he didn't have any restraint. I admit...I really wanted more-"

"Did you get more?" Wolfram asked, his own respiration accelerating.

She sighed. "No, not really. I just remembered we got a bit horny, but Yuuri refused to sleep with me. I don't know why he didn't even kiss me, once. I wonder if he fears germs or whatever...So Mikari was there and well, the rest is history...it was hot, though. Yuuri can be quite seductive when he wants to."

"You're only got touched?" Valérie said, incredulously.

"Yeah...At least my thighs still remember his hands, even if he was drunk as hell and did so because he didn't know what to do, in fact," she said jokingly. Wolfram balled his hand into a fist.

"Pity you couldn't control your hormones, girl; had you not jumped into Mikari's bed, you could have had Yuuri with a clearer mind," Hinagashi said. A shadow veiled Hana's face.

_She regrets it_, Wolfram noted.

"Why was he angry?" He asked, tentatively.

"He said he was thinking of some friend who was quite a pain in the ass. 'An assholish friend of mine', he said exactly. During the rest of the night when we were dancing, he was saying from time to time: 'You're right, I must forget annoying people...He's not worth it...Just an ass-hole who makes me waste my time...Why am I so attached to him?...He's a good for nothing, always screaming, trying to make me feel guilty...' That's a bit weird, with hindsight. He looked as though he hold much grudge towards that person. I did my best to comfort him. I think Yuuri liked that and started to trust me. In any case, whatever, this is how I met him."

Wolfram tried to ignore the painful pang in his chest. After all, this was not something he didn't already know. And at least, Yuuri might have been honest about Hana, and this fact alone offered him a temporary satisfaction.

**XXX**

The party went on with a last dance, after playing billiards where Wolfram nearly won every match. By "mistake", he shot a ball into Yuuri's hand's back, earning a painful hiss from his fiancé. When Yuuri glared at him, Wolfram said he liked to punish treacherous hands.

Loyal to his _girlfriend_ (even if she was herself a bit of a flirt_, _he mentioned_ again_), no one could dance with him. So the young German student stayed against the wall, absolutely focused on the couples. His solitude was soon cast aside as Yuuri found a spot beside Wolfram, leaving everyone else to dance, too. The loud music allowed them to speak more freely.

"Too busy trying to rest, Yuuri?" Wolf asked, accepting the cool drink Yuuri held out.

"What did you say?"

"You're too tired to dance with one of the girls here."

"I'm just too busy wanting to please my fiancé." They looked at one another, with a smile.

"...I was wondering..."

"What?"

Wolfram hesitated then shook his head.

"Ouch, Kitamura, you stepped on my food, idiot!" Hinagashi shouted in pain.

"Sorry, you should have been taller, I can barely see your feet!"

"Fuck off!"

"Okay, sayonara then, hey Kioshi, leave me Valérie!"

"Hell, no," Valérie protested, abandoning Kioshi, "you two should dance together, you're both so clumsy!"

"The hell, I'm no fucking faggot! I don't dance with men, yuck," Kioshi said.

Wolfram looked at him, stunned by the hatred in this statement. Kioshi's glare held too much intensity not to take his words seriously. A shudder ran through Wolf's spine as he observed Kioshi.

"Yuuri, what is a faggot?" he inquired, lowly.

Yuuri was feeling uncomfortable. He was so ashamed, so ashamed to expose his..._friends_' stupidity to Wolfram's ears and eyes. He didn't know if it was worth to tell it. He could scarcely look into Wolf's eyes, arms crossed.

"A homosexual, in vulgar slang. That is often meant as... an insult."

Wolfram slowly tore his eyes away from the couples, in hurt disbelief. Then, he felt his rage grow within, his body shaking as he refrained himself. He glared at Kioshi who still with his cold face, was oblivious to Wolf's outrage. His eyes shot daggers at the whole group.

"Why is no one saying anything?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice low.

"Wolf...People don't..." Yuuri looked away so that he could ignore the disappointment-as difficult as it was- he saw in his fiancé's eyes, "many people don't really react to that kind of words. For them, it's normal...They don't question the usage they make of this word."

Everything made sense for Wolfram. And it was a painful lesson he was learning. So painful he momentarily forgot Hana whose eyes often wandered towards a powerless king. He felt his chest narrowing, a dolour, as he felt that Yuuri wouldn't react, and that he was himself helpless at the moment. He would have revealed Yuuri and his true bond, had his indignation (so strong, so hurtful) taken the best of him.

**XXX**

The taxi drove them back home. Both were exhausted. Trying to keep a mask in front of everyone and friends-mainly- was a task a lot more arduous than they'd thought it was going to be. After second thoughts, it felt much similar to the missions they often went on, in Shin Makoku. But there, the psychological challenge was not only of another kind, but also on another level.

"Did you have a good night, Wolfram?"

Yuuri's voice was oddly charged with soft tenderness.

Wolfram nodded, eyelids heavy.

His mind resonated with Kioshi's words and he couldn't shake them off his head. He added that to Hana's clear intention towards Yuuri and it created quite a turmoil that no aspirin would erase.

"Some of your friends are nice. I like them. But they're quite young...and carefree."

"I know. We're not exactly on the same page...Though, can they be blamed?"

Wolfram shrugged eyebrows "No doubt about that." He said after a while, in a quiet tone: "I thought Kioshi was intelligent."

He rested his head against his seat back, soon feeling a foreign shoulder against his cheek. Yuuri's perfume met his nostrils as his arm then wrapped around Wolf's shoulder. First surprised, Wolfram soon reclined into the welcoming and comforting hug. He closed his eyes. Hana's thoughts were still tainting Yuuri's body...but he cast them aside. He just wanted peace, and his fiancé's warmth.

The taxi was silent, except for the rain outside, and the music that the radio was playing.

"This song is great, Yuuri..."

Yuuri said nothing. He felt sorry.

This song was the song on which his friends had danced the last slow. And it had killed him not to be able to offer the dance Wolf had so wished for. His fiancé's eyes had shone with so much contained envy on seeing how close the dancing couples were. And yet, he had said nothing, asked nothing. He had smiled throughout the whole dance. Yuuri had remained frozen on his spot, unable to confront what he would have imagined as disgusted stares and messy judgement.

All he could muster, as Wolfram was comfortably falling into a warm slumber against him, his fair hair tickling his skin, was the courage to ignore the taxi driver's indiscreet and insisting look. He kept glancing at them, Yuuri feeling the weight and the sting of his peeks, through the rear-view mirror.

**XX**

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**This story is discontinued. **

**At least temporarily ****since I more or less know how to end this fiction.**

**I've been interested in other mangas, and I'd also like to focus on my own original stories.**

**Thanks and apologies to the ones who have reviewed this story; you're the ones who motivated me to write more for it. **

**Special thanks to SweetHeaven: I really appreciated your long and frequent reviews; I wrote somewhat long chapters with details, so reading that you noticed them is very rewarding. Thank you! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**This fanfiction is for free entertainment purposes only.**

**Big thank you to the ones who commented the story, in particular, SweetHeaven , The Adelaide9 and hello for your very nice and encouraging reviews.**

**Warning: light sexual language. **

**12\. Try**

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Yuuri looked over his shoulder as he grabbed his cellphone from the console table. Wolfram was seated near Shouma and was studying some kanjis. He desired more than everything to start university with Yuuri; the memory of the party made him even more eager to establish himself. To impose himself maybe.

In any case, he didn't feel as sick as he was and wanted to go back to a more normal life. Wolfram didn't say it, but Yuuri could see it: the blond felt even more challenged to live among Human beings, in his fiancé's world, where his title, his rank and his powers had no meaning. And to overcome his short-comings, he had to work hard. But fear didn't impress him: he was above all a fighter and he was used to getting what he wanted; he wouldn't give up so easily.

Yuuri smiled and then started to dial a number, heading in the corridor so that Wolfram wouldn't hear him.

_Here you go, Yuuri. Make up for that dance that didn't happen. _

**XXX**

It was early in the afternoon and Yuuri could still feel his lunch dangling inside his stomach. He hurried into the baseball field. The cold temperature made his fingertips rigid.

"This is Mikari, your friend?" Wolfram asked as he trailed behind Yuuri, catching up his pace.

"Yeah, he's training as usual."

Wolfram looked up at the all white-dressed silhouette in the middle of the field. The young man there, was sending back balls that another man of an average age was throwing to him.

"Mikari," Yuuri shouted, the distance between them shortening. Mikari's head whipped at him. But he didn't look surprised. The young man looked even disgruntled and gloomy. For someone who had avoided him for a whole week, Yuuri found him rather...impassible. At least, he wasn't running away.

"Mikari...Hey, dude." Yuuri waved at him but when no warm wave was given back, he dropped his hand, his body tensing.

"Yuuri," Mikari said. He indicated with a hand gesture that he was taking a break from the game to the man (a coach, probably) but he kept his bat in his fist. He watched as Yuuri approached, then set his eyes on Wolfram. They lingered on the thin, luminous silhouette for a moment before Yuuri was close enough. The young king held out a hand.

"Hey, dude, long time no see. What's going on?"

"I'm cool..."

Yuuri could see through the lie. As Mikari refused to shake his hand, Yuuri dropped his own.

"What's wrong?..." he peered into his mate's eyes. "Why have you been avoiding me? You're worrying me."

Mikari adjusted his helmet with a gloved hand so that his eyes were more visible. Wolfram remained some feet away from them.

Mikari turned around to catch his backpack, laying on the grass, and retrieved a water bottle. He gulped down then closing his bottle, back to Yuuri, he said.

"I saw a thing. You were that thing."

"...What thing?"

Mikari shot him a glare.

"I don't know. You should be able to tell me. So you can control elements, right? Water, for example?" When Yuuri's eyes popped out, troubled, Mikari's lips drew a smirk.

"I don't know what you are, Yuuri...What are you?...A magical creature?...A magician maybe? Or a monster?"

Yuuri felt sweat running down his hands, his temples. Earth was the place where he wanted to be nothing more than a cool student with a thing for baseball. He was both Yuuri the king and Yuuri the average Japanese man; but on Earth the latter was his main identity; he had always wanted it to stay that way. Now everything was crumbling down.

Mikari waited, until the silence grew longer than four seconds, and he looked up the sky, muffling his half-saddened, half sardonic chuckle.

"You can't even tell me?"

He rolled his bat in his hand.

"You can't even tell me...even if I did see you at the fountain?" he locked his eyes into Yuuri's darker ones, allowing a silent confrontation to take place. Mikari's anger was mellowed by something else. "It doesn't look it, Yuuri. But I'm fucking scared. I'm scared of you. I don't know what the hell you are, exactly. I'm scared because I'm piercing through all your lies these years, and I'm scared because I'm facing someone I don't know, even if I thought them to be a friend."

He was shaking.

"Are you even _human_?"

Yuuri and Mikari kept staring at each other, before Yuuri first gave up. Why keep hiding, keep lying? Mikari was the most atheist of their group. He didn't believe in fairy tales, prayed only to himself and not to some God, and would always find rational and scientific explanations to the most mysterious phenomenons. But there, Yuuri his own FRIEND disappearing into water that glowed at his contact, there was no way rationality would bring any sort of answer to Mikari's questions.

Yuuri dropped his gaze to his feet. Then he scratched his hair and looked back at Mikari, with a smile.

"I'm human," he took Mikari's bottle. "And I'm a demon. Oh, don't worry, not the evil-ish kind," he added as Mikari stepped back, terror striking his face. "I'm...quite curious. What did you see at the fountain, exactly?"

"Wh-what-what the hell?!" Mikari blurted out, pedalling backwards. "Don't j-joke with me."

Yuuri walked forward, slowly.

"I'm not. You told me to tell you the truth. You're my friend and I want to be honest with you. Even if your reaction doesn't make it easy." Yuuri smiled, melancholic. "It's quite comprehensible, though. Yes, I am a demon."

Mikari was breathing erratically, wide dark brown eyes staring at Yuuri with bewilderment. When he saw no trace of pleasantry in his friend's eyes, he quickly thought, should he run away, or keep confronting him?

"A demon?" he repeated.

"A demon, indeed. And I'm a king, too."

Mikari's astonishment went off the roof and he laughed, nervously.

"Are you joking? A demon king? What the hell, Yuuri? Did you smoke something?"

"A demon king. That's the exact term. I rule over a big land called Shin Makoku, where for a long time Human beings and Demons used to fight against one another," Yuuri tried not to sound stupid but looking at Mikari he felt as though his nose had grown (1). "I've been designed as their king, and one of my purposes, the dearest I've had, was to bring peace between the two races. I'm near to succeed in this goal. Oh, I also have a castle. And if you want to know more, my land is in a parallel world. Demons are not so different from us. They just can have, for some of them, crazy eyes and hair colour."

When Mikari kept staring at him, gobsmacked, Yuuri added:

"I've been reconciling my two genetics heritages."

"A demon," Mikari started to mumble, wide eyes dropping on the grass. "A demon, a demon."

"Do you hate me, Mikari?" Yuuri asked. And there was not a shadow of pleasantry on his face any more. He was assuming Mikari was still frightened by his revelations-which he felt he didn't have the right to be upset at-but he also wanted to know how it could affect their friendship.

"No, no, I don't!" Mikari spontaneously answered, before stopping and rolling his eyes at his confession. Yuuri pointed a finger at him:

"Ah, dude, sorry, but you said it. Now...Do you believe what I said?"

"...A demon...How could..."

"They can live everywhere around you. I'm going to trust you, Mikari. My father is a demon, so Shouri and I are half-demons. You probably met other ones in this world. However, we all look normal. We all want to live in peace. We all live like Humans. Heck, I'm even planning to get a job, like...anyone else, like you! I'm no different from you. And, if it can reassure you, I will never hurt you."

Mikari gulped down, still facing Yuuri. The expression of mistrust he had been wearing subsided a little, and he started to relax, his body relieved from its earlier shaking.

"If...if you are normal, like you assert, why did it take you so long to tell me about your true nature?"

Yuuri looked at him, rather sadly.

"Do you think I want to be considered different?...Do you think as immature as we were when we first met, at sixteen, you would have been able to handle the truth, and I would have handled your reaction? The same exact reaction you had just now?" Yuuri frowned. "Did you think I wanted to lose you as a friend?"

"Yuuri, please, stop..."

"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth, earlier."

Mikari looked away, taking off his helmet. He remained quiet before dropping his bat on the grass.

"Nah...I'm sorry, too. You're right...I would have been scared as fuck. And I am, to be honest. I just...I just didn't expect that. In fact, I still can't believe it."

He replayed the fountain scene in his head.

"Seriously...if you're a demon...can you prove it?...I mean I saw what you did. But I can't believe it is real. I still can't believe it...Yuuri, this can't be real..."

Yuuri smiled. Hesitating, throwing a glance at Wolf, he unsealed the bottle's cap, opening towards the ground. The water never reached the grass. On the contrary it floated in the air at Yuuri's midsection level, similarly to a fast-moving bubble.

Wolfram gasped at Yuuri's revealing his secret. He wondered what was crossing his fiancé's mind for revealing his power in public.

Mikari just let out a long weird sound of stupefaction, eyes glued to the liquid moving and dancing under the order of Yuuri's fingers.

"I could do that with an ocean," Yuuri said, smiling.

"What?!"

"Ahah, I'm half-joking. I haven't tried yet."

Yuuri made a circle with his index and tranquilly, water went back inside the bottle. Yuuri turned the lid shut and gave the bottle back to Mikari. He was nervous as he waited for his friend's reaction.

"Do you believe me, now?"

Mikari took the bottle back. He nodded, still stunned by the display of power.

"Gosh, Yuuri... I would never have guessed...It's amazing..."

"I know and that's why I had a hard time telling you what I was really doing when I wasn't at school. I trust you. I'm pretty sure you won't shout my secret on the roofs."

"No, no...Just let me register it."

"Now that you have had a solid, private proof that you were not dreaming or that I wasn't lying, will you give me the cold shoulder again, for one whole week?"

Mikari sort of blushed.

"I've been childish, okay, I admit it. Though I've had good reasons to be, you will concede that to me...but yeah, no, I'm not going to avoid you."

"What about Hana? She was sort of complaining about you being cold towards her, too."

Mikari's eyes darkened, and this time, it was another sort of hostility that he directed at Yuuri.

"She broke up with me. Just yesterday. I asked her why. She told me she hadn't liked my late behaviour, and that she was sorry, but that...she just didn't love me back." He picked up his bat, examining it. "Then...I asked her if she loved you...She was unable to tell me. But her eyes didn't lie."

Mikari swang his bat left to right, right to left.

"I had feelings for her. When she announced that she thought it was better to stop there, she and I, I was so pissed I momentarily blanked about you and your powers. She's never forgotten about you. Who was I kidding? When we talked about you, her eyes always lit up. When I sometimes wanted to spend time with her only, she wanted us to call you for some hangouts. Well, karma has been a bitch, right. You saw her, first, and well, I kind of pushed you aside to get her...You can have her now. Though I may avoid both of you for some times, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Mikari."

"No, no it's okay. It just feels weird, to be dumped for a friend. I've never thought it would happen to both of us." Mikari tentatively smiled. "So you can have sex, now, Yuuri? The girl of your dreams, you have it, right on your lap. You won. She dumped me for you."

"About that...I think I won't date her. At all."

"...Why? You don't have to think about me? I've been selfish. You don't have to mind me."

"No, it's not that. I mean, yeah, I won't date my friend's ex. But...that's not the only thing..."

"So what?" Mikari, taken aback, looked at him with worried surprise.

"In fact...You were not wrong about me...having someone on the side."

"WHAT?"

"I do have someone. In fact, I'm engaged. And to a demon."

Yuuri turned around, beckoning to Wolfram. Curious and worried, Wolfram hurried at his side. Yuuri wrapped an arm around him and faced Mikari.

"Well...Hum...Wolfram, this is Mikari, my friend since high-school. Mikari, this is Wolfram von Bielefeld, a demon noble...and my fiancé. We're engaged."

**XXX**

Wolfram was smiling, aware of the effect it had on Yuuri. He couldn't help it; he was walking on a cloud nine. They were at a coffee shop, Mikari seated in front of them, around a round table. Yuuri's cheeks had been blushing, heating with the joy to have..."outed" himself to his close friend, but also because Wolfram's attention on him was...slightly embarrassing. And yet, his chest itself was threatening to burst under the pressure of a happiness he felt for the first time. The weight he'd been carrying on his shoulders seemed to have alleviated.

"Yeah, yeah, Yuuri is coming to terms with his sexuality," Mikari giggled half-mockingly while turning his spoon inside his big cup filled with a fuming hot chocolate. "Stop it, Yuuri, looks like you're going to eat your fiancé."

Both mazoku men blushed harder and laughed in semi-embarrassment, but Wolfram kept ogling Yuuri with such a tender affection that it would have melted the hardest of metals.

"Well, that wasn't easy to tell you that, Mikari," Yuuri said lowly, turning his gaze into his chocolate.

"Mh, I agree," Mikari tilted in head in a quick nod, sipping his beverage. He glanced at Wolfram. Mikari wasn't into men...and yet, Wolfram's face was a work of God. Almost perfection. He had seen tons and tons of handsome people, Hana being the closest of what he would call "perfect beauty", but Wolfram surpassed most of them. He then glanced at Yuuri and resisted another giggle; no wonder his secretive friend fell for someone like him. Even if he was a man. All these times Yuuri had been battling for keeping his private life, well, private, and now, the reason why lay before Mikari, like a giant open book.

"I know you were gay," Mikari said. Yuuri couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"Dude, it's not because I'm with a man that it defines my sexuality-"

"Lol, please," Mikari said waving away his argument, "I remember now: every time there was a blond man in the streets you couldn't help checking him-"

"Oh really?" Wolfram asked.

"Yeah, he d-"

"It's not that," Yuuri protested. "It's just...it reminded me of you, that hair colour. Nothing else. I could barely check other guys."

"Mph."

"Oh nooo argument, you cutie pies, what about making up in bed, mmh?"

The fiancés punched him.

"Oooh, soooorrry, touchy touchy, it feels," Mikari said, rolling back into his chair after having rolled down. "...What, both of you haven't made it, yet?"

The blush spread wider as embarrassment reached new levels.

"...So you've been engaged for YEARS? And not even a little game with your pink tips-"

"MIKARI, shut up, please!" Yuuri blurted, feeling he was about to die out of shame. "Damn, you're so crude sometimes."

"You don't find me so crude when I talk about Bs and Bs."

"Bs and what?" Wolfram asked, frowning.

"Boobs and butts."

"That's-that-s not the same thing!" Yuuri retorted, ignoring the look Wolfram addressed him.

"No, seriously, Yuuri? Wolfram? You haven't really...together?" Mikari asked, staring intently at both of them; he had been teasing the pair but there was a real concerned curiousness in his question.

"No, we haven't," Yuuri answered.

At that, Wolfram turned his eyes towards his cup. A weird silence settled among them a short while.

"Really?..."

"Yuuri is barely getting used to the idea of being with me," Wolfram answered. "After seeing your world, it's not his fault."

"Oh...I understand." Mikari nodded again and then, slightly patted Yuuri on the shoulder. He hadn't been thinking about all of that, and now, he realized how...different Yuuri's life had been those last years. "Yuuri...I'm sorry for having 'pressured' you all these times...I didn't know what you were going through. Being a king, taking care of a whole country and a new family...You really had better things on your hands to look after instead of hooking up with girls. I wished sometimes you had been more like me, more...flirtatious with women, but you had good reasons not to."

Wolfram rested briefly his forehead against Yuuri's shoulder, and Yuuri responded in kind by unconsciously stroking Wolfram's face.

In that very short, yet so intense interaction Mikari could see something that even Yuuri was scarcely aware of. Probably, Wolfram was more attached to Yuuri than Yuuri was to Wolfram, at first sight. He felt Wolfram didn't have a hard time showing his affection, and that if he could, he would do more.

However, he could also tell Yuuri wasn't ready to be that open with his relationship with Wolf (which was understandable), or that he was struggling to come to terms with what he thought he would become. A young man with no other dreams than to become better at baseball and getting a good job, falling in love with a beautiful woman and marrying her and having a bunch of kids that would perhaps follow the same pattern.

No, Yuuri's fate had taken another turn which surprised all of them: this young blond man had earned a place in Yuuri's life that no one else could get. Mikari could tell himself, Yuuri had found another reason to live. Furthermore, as a great observer, he told himself the whole aura around Yuuri and Wolfram was too special to go unnoticed.

"I can see why you'd have a hard time telling your friend these sorts of secrets," Mikari replied, eyeing Wolfram once again. It was obvious Yuuri wasn't very comfortable with total public displays of affection. Mikari was understanding, to some extent, though; he still was more frivolous and extroverted than Yuuri. He had no shame. Or little.

"On the other hand, how can you resist Wolfram, Yuuri? Seriously? A face made in Heaven!" Mikari slid an arm around Wolf's shoulder.

"Yes, how can he?" the green-eyed mazoku said jokingly, eyeing with carefulness Mikari's sudden promiscuity. People from Earth had really odd attitudes.

"Mh, you smell good, Wolfram, what perfume is this?" Mikari asked as he leaned into Wolf's neck, sniffing the pale skin. Yuuri raised an eyebrow at that, forgetting a bit his nervousness (people around),watching Mikari and Wolf with a side smile.

"Frangipani shower gel and body lotion. Isn't it too feminine?"

"No, it's perfect for your delicate neck."

Mikari pursed his lips to "kiss" Wolfram's skin. And if it wasn't for an old man entering the place and telling them to stop, Yuuri would have dragged Wolf's chair towards him.

"There are hotels around," the old man said.

"What? I love my boyfriend, I can show my affection the way I want, grandpa," Mikari replied, patting Wolf's shoulder in emphasis. The old man shook his head, minding his own business as he headed towards a table. Wolfram tensed, feeling all at once apprehensive by people's reaction. But to his relief, no one jumped at their necks; a few curious glances were thrown their way and Mikari just winked at them all before parting from Wolfram.

"You were not scared," the blond noted.

"No, of course. I'm sorry, this was a joke. But..."

Yuuri and Mikari shared a stare. Yuuri didn't miss the message. This was Mikari's way of saying Yuuri shouldn't fear to open up to Wolfram, and to reassure him, not necessarily to show him his affection around so many people (though, Mikari had that at the back of his mind, Yuuri could swear it). At the same time, Yuuri knew Mikari provoked him. This was always like that with him: they were great friends; but an untold competition often made their friendship...spicier. Mikari loved to prove anyone that intricate, controversial situations like these ones didn't frighten him.

That was probably one of the reasons why he'd slept with Hana before Yuuri could even "approach" her.

"But I'm the best," Mikari said. And only Yuuri could understand the meaning.

Mikari startled when his hot chocolate floated out of his cup and was flung unto his sweat shirt.

"Oops, my bad," Yuuri said, sending a kiss to his friend.

"Yuuri, you did that," Wolfram said. "He's your friend. And don't use your powers so publicly."

"I know, I was just joking like him," Yuuri said, briefly caressing with his index Wolfram's hand.

"Don't worry, Wolfram, I don't take it bad. I apologize, I must have embarrassed you, too," Mikari reached for a handkerchief to clean himself. No matter how competitive he could get with Yuuri (and Mikari admitted he was the one to get into 'rival' mode with his friend, because Yuuri was more chill and had more and more a relaxed attitude on things), he adored Yuuri and wanted his best.

"The sea isn't that far, Yuuri, Wolfram, you should go on a date, over there."

"I'm waiting for something like that. But it's not really up to me," Wolfram answered. As Mikari was about to comment on that, he quickly added: "I don't mind, don't worry. I can wait."

"A date can be beneficial to both of you," Mikari said to Yuuri.

"...Probably. But I don't want you to monitor my relationship."

"Wow, relationship, what a great word. Its not monitoring, it's suggesting ideas, dumbass."

"Okay, fine. You're right."

They all kept drinking and eating some pastries, telling more stories to one another. The hours passed agreeably and Wolfram felt himself getting relaxed. For a moment, he felt like he had always belonged to this world, simply enjoying nice beverages with good friends, in a pretty coffee shop. Why were things not always like that? Calm, simple, funny?

"And to think only Murata knew about both of you, I'm jealous," Mikari said with a sigh. "One time, you'll take me to Shin Makoku, too, Yuuri."

**XXX**

They walked back home around 6 pm after promising to dine with Mikari the day to come. Their conversation took back a more mundane turn, but yet, they were both more calm, more content. This was as if they had made a silent, yet understood and shared promised on which they'd agreed on all accounts. Wolfram's heart was palpitating with emotions too big for his chest, and this was an understatement. He could barely comprehend himself. But after the big move Yuuri had done today, he swore to himself that he wouldn't force or pressure him to do anything for their relationship. Yes, he wanted to suggest so many things...but he had to let Yuuri adjust at his rhythm. He couldn't, he felt he was not entitled to demand more.

He knew now...or maybe was he too hopeful?...that he had a tiny bit of Yuuri's heart. For the moment, he could manage with that, only. While his heart was upside down, his mind felt a peace he was grateful for.

"I want to cook tonight," Wolfram said. "Your mother promised to help me."

"That's very nice."

"You're so enthusiast Yuuri it's going to rain glitters."

"But I am enthusiast about you cooking!"

"Mph. Can I buy bus tickets myself? I want to try, I have money now."

"No, we don't need them. We'll walk."

"...I don't mind walking, Yuuri, but the house is a bit far from here."

"...Good, it's going to make us even hungrier!"

Wolfram puffed, crossing his arms but followed him anyway. Yuuri led him towards streets he'd never seen before, paths he'd never walked on before and through smells he'd never encountered either.

"Yuuri, do you want to buy something? Your mother isn't going to be happy about us being late."

"No I 'bought' something. We'd rather not be late."

"Oh."

Yuuri turned on their right, in a big street where a huge crowd was shuffling by, and then taking Wolf by the hand, led him slightly on the left. They entered a luxurious restaurant.

"Yuuri...?"

A man- probably a waiter, in an elegant black and white outfit- came to them and bowed slightly.

"Welcome, Mr Shibuya, can I take your coats?"

"Yes, thank you," Yuuri said as he took off his jacket and then urged Wolf to imitate him.

"Are we late?" Yuuri asked

"No, sir, you arrived on time, as expected."

Bewildered, Wolfram wondered what it meant but did as he was told. They were alone in the huge room. Yuuri took him by the hand, walking a few steps forward into the room, then shifted slowly to look into Wolfram's eye.

"Can I invite you for dinner?"

With his mouth open like that, Wolfram could have been able to swallow a whole army of flies. His eyes broadened, his body froze. Did he really hear well?

"...What?..."

"I asked...Can I invite you for dinner for tonight?"

"-You-you...?"

Yuuri smiled, patiently.

"I booked the whole restaurant for the both of us yesterday. I knew I wanted to explain Mikari everything. I just wanted to do something else, for you and me." He couldn't forget the way Wolfram had looked when he hadn't gotten his dance at Hana's party and how much he must have felt excluded, once again. But he didn't do that to fix his mistake only...he wanted to spend more time with Wolfram. "See...I don't need Mikari's help to treat you to somewhere."

Wolfram took into deep breaths, watching all around then looked back at his fiancé. He nodded, taking Yuuri's hand with both hands, sighing as he felt Yuuri's fingers tightening around his.

"I would like you to invite me, Yuuri, very much."

They both smiled at they headed towards a table next to which the waiter was waiting for them.

**TBC.**

**(1)Pinocchio's reference of course (written by Carlo Collodi). **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN KYOU KARA MAOH!**

**No money made from this fanfiction. Free entertainment only.**

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**A/N 1: Thank you very much to the ones who reviewed the 12th chapter. Thank you guest n°1, elise and SweatHeaven for your articulate and motivating reviews, they were very nice to read. It's great to see that Kyou Kara Maoh can still interest people like that and trigger interesting reviews. Love them :)**

**A/N 2: To those who subscribe to my story_ Not the expected destination_ (cross-over between kyou kara maoh and kuroshitsuji), this story is definitely discontinued and no longer updated. **

**13\. To Initiate**

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He opened the bottle and sprayed his new cologne on his neck and inside his elbows, in light doses. He looked at his reflection into the mirror, a tiny smirk making its way on his lips. The mirror sent him back the reflection of a sane and healthy man. Now that sickness seemed to be out of the picture, he could focus on his life as an ordinary man.

Wolfram turned around, picking up his dark brown bag then checked himself in the psyche mirror again. He had bought a few clothes with well distinct purposes: to stop borrowing Yuuri's clothes any longer, and to give himself back some sense of propriety. He was so used to have his own stuff that constantly taking someone else's possessions started to bother him, even if Yuuri had said he was fine to lend him his attires. He had kept, though, secretly, one of Yuuri's very cosy hoodies inside his wardrobe and had under his breath giggled several times when Yuuri had been pesting about not finding it back.

Tight blue jeans a bit used, a dark knit grey pullover, dark brown faux leather jacket and shoes from the same colour.

"Wolf, are you ready? We're going!" he heard Yuuri asked, from behind the door.

"Yes," he said as he opened the door.

Yuuri was standing all ready for university, too, wearing black and grey garments that made him look even longer and taller. Very slender too. But Wolfram knew that behind this lean façade, well developed muscles were hiding. He blushed at the thought and remained quiet. Yuuri took a moment to inspect Wolfram, from head to toe.

"You look...good," Yuuri said, a genuine look of appreciation in his eyes. He told himself he'd have to buy more clothes for his fiancé, the memory of the pink nightgown that his mum bought for Wolf when he returned to Shin Makoku crossing his mind, again. And that night, Wolfram had re-established their engagement, his eyes brimming with pure joy, like stars. How silly and yet, already so inseparable they were at that time. Yes, a day of shopping with Wolf was definitely engraving at the back of his mind.

"Of course, that's my first day at the university. I have to give a good impression. Are we going, now? Is Shouri dropping us over there?"

"Yes, but you need to do something before."

"What?"

"Look, your belt and your zip, Wolfram. You may want to exhibit a little but, ick, I don't really think...it's going to turn great."

Wolfram looked down, noticed his open zip and his cheeks turned red quicker than light speed. He quickly closed the metallic system of his trousers then followed a mocking and giggling Yuuri down the stairs, tugging at his ear to make him stop, before they met Shouri outside, waiting for what seemed like quite some instants.

The young king of Earth was leaning against his car, flipping through his newspaper, a bored expression on his face. When he heard the royal couple heading towards him, he smirked.

"Well, taking your time, I see?" He turned to look at them, admired Wolf's outfit then opened his car's passenger's door. His gaze slid towards Yuuri's and Wolfram's hands interlacing.

"Nope, Yuu-chan, it's for Wolfram."

"What?"

"Wolfram, seat beside me. Yuuri, at the back."

They did as they were told, Yuuri whining about his brother's meanness. Shouri told him it was a revenge against all the times Yuuri refused to accept his big brother's care for him.

"Jeez, you're so full of grudge it's actually off-putting," Yuuri grumbled as Shouri started the car. One would think Shouri would have given up on his big brother complex as the man neared his 25th birthday; but that didn't happen and Yuuri only had his mouth to pout and protest.

"So, Wolfram, you aren't feeling too stressed over this new life? You're not dreading going to school, are you?"

"N...nooo. Actually, I think I've prepared myself well enough these last days. Father Shouma and Mother Jennifer have been really nice to help me. I read, I wrote, I studied so I think I'm good. How can I not be good academically wise? In Shin Makoku, I used to have good grades. That can't be so difficult to study here, on Earth. Your system isn't as demanding as it is in my world. I will do my best, though."

"Aah, it's good. Your confidence is back. And you seem well-recovered, too," Shouri said in a voice so unusually soft and full of benevolence that Wolfram looked at him. Shouri glanced at the blond, smiling. "That's good news."

"...thank you."

Wolfram looked over his shoulder to check his fiancé. Yuuri had been totally oblivious to their conversation as he was reading a message through his smartphone and was laughing by himself.

"What's funny, Yuuri?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Really, show me? Is it Mikari messaging you?"

"...No, that's a just a silly gif that someone sent me. Sorry,that's not important."

"A gif-"

"Who is this person?" Shouri asked.

Yuuri sighed.

"Starting your controlling behaviour again, BIG brother?"

"No. I'm just curious, I don't really know your most recent friends."

"I'm pretty sure that's Hana," Wolfram said, after a while. He and Yuuri shared a look but Wolfram broke eye contact, watching in front of him, and said no more.

"Ah, that girl," Shouri said a few seconds later after an eerie silence. _That girl_. "So that was her, Yuuri?"

Yuuri took into a deep breath, feeling guilty again.

"Yeah, that was her."

"How did you know, Wolfram?"

"From what I've seen of her behaviour, at the party. She's been very close to Yuuri. And from Yuuri's attitude, too. If it had been another friend, he would have told me right away. But since it's Hana, he always hesitates."

"Wolf..."

"Wow, I'm sorry, Wolfram. I didn't know my brother needed a big whack on his head. Next time, break up with him and let me introduce you to someone nicer."

Wolfram chuckled a few seconds, more out of semi-embarrassment and semi-astonishment than real amusement.

Shouri checked his rear-view glass. Yuuri was staring at him with cold anger.

"Calm down Yuuri. I was trolling you. But keep Wolfram close."

"I don't need your advice." It was amazing that his big brother could even suggest_ that_ to his fiancé.

"I saw that you're still sleeping in my bedroom, little bro. What aren't you and Wolfram sharing the same bedroom?"

"Because we both need space," Yuuri retaliated.

Shouri said nothing more and kept on driving.

Then the university was on sight and he pulled his car over. Before Shouri could do it, Yuuri got out of the car and opened the door for Wolf. Shouri made no comment, just a weird smile for not trying to laugh then got out, too. He smiled at them and wished them good luck. He watched them heading towards the large and white building, and made some mental notes on their attitudes towards each other.

**XXX**

Wolfram was sitting at the second front row, before the large platform on which Mr Takagawa's desk, their English teacher, was settled. He was nervous as he was twiddling his pens. He checked the amphitheatre again: on both right and left parts of the room, numerous students occupied the seats, filling the air with loud chatters that the few minutes before the start of the class allowed. He barely noticed the plethora of glances he received from admirers.

"You're so cute," Yuuri said with a grin, at his right.

"Huh? Oh, thank you," Wolfram said with a blush. "You're way cuter."

"Mh, this is adorable how you have opened all your notebook and English books. We may not need all of them."

"So why did we bring them, then?"

"It depends on the way the class will go. Sometimes we have more time and we perfectly respect the schedule and sometimes we're getting late because Mr Takagawa explains some points that we don't understand."

Wolfram slowly nodded, acknowledging it was quite a valid reason.

"Hey, Yuuri," Kioshi said. He was seated on Yuuri's right, while nearly all their friends were on his own right, in a linear way. Hinagashi had kissed Wolf on the cheek, happy to see him when he had stepped inside the amphitheatre.

"On Saturday we're going to the cinema to watch the last horror movie. Do you want to join us? After that, we'll have a drink at my place."

"Oh," Yuuri said, uncertain. He avoided glancing at Wolf. Wolfram had expressed his utmost disgust upon seeing Kioshi. He was adamant on not talking to him.

_"Let's go sit over there," Yuuri said, indicating a place where some of his friends were sitting, in front of the teacher's elevated desk. Wolfram identified Kitamura, Higashi, Laurent, Takeshi...and Kioshi._

_"I don't want to sit next to him," Wolfram mumbled, his typical frown returning in an instant. Yuuri addressed him a look full of comprehension and sympathy._

_"Don't worry, I'll sit in the middle to separate him from you."_

_"It'd be so much better if he could disappear," Wolfram replied, rolling his eyes, and holding back from calling Kioshi a few birds names. _"Hum, I'm not sure. I might see relatives this week-end. I've kept postponing dining with them and you know, they're kind of pissed about it. But who's coming?"

"The usual group, here (he made a vague gesture at his right: Laurent, Hinagashi, Kitamura, Takeshi). Valérie will be there, too and Hana promised to come, too." Kioshi's face turned more serious and carried that cold neutrality that made people, Wolf in particular, a bit uncomfortable, like he had no soul in his eyes. "I heard Mikari broke up with her. Is it true?"

Yuuri dreaded where that conversation was heading. "...Yeah. They did break up."

"It's because she loves you," Kioshi said bluntly. "That's sort of a dick move to jump from one friend to another friend who're both in the same circle. However, if I can give my honest opinion, I think you should date her."

"...I don't think I'd want that," Yuuri said after a short while, knowing Wolfram had heard everything. He had seen him tense. "I consider her my friend, and that's all."

"A friend?" Kioshi raised an eyebrow at that as he straightened, an expression shared between bemusement and slight irony. "Dude, you are so blind. She was flirting with you hardcore, all along her relationship with Mikari. That was quite disgusting, knowing you're both friends. However he stole her from you, didn't he? In any case, it was obvious she has had feelings for you, and for you only. She really prefers you. You both have so much chemistry that sometimes, it felt like we had to leave the room to leave the two of you alone."

"I don't care. I'm not interested in her, mate," Yuuri said, coldly. "That's kind of uncomfortable to talk about that. And I don't date my friends' exes."

"I'm sorry, I won't bother you with that any more. However, I can tell you she'll ask you to date her, sometimes...if you don't want her then...I may fuck her."

_WHAT?_

_Oh please, take her and both get away from my sight_, Wolfram calmly thought. He was replacing, with determined quickness, his smartphone's screen pictures and placed it so that Yuuri could see what it was. Yuuri's eyes bulged out as his brain registered the new pic: two wedding figurines on a wedding cake but with Yuuri's and Wolf's faces placed where the heads should be. Now Yuuri knew why Wolf's ringtone was the wedding theme. Wolfram was learning photoshop and he had made quite...original montages.

"Silence, please," Mr Takagawa said as he pushed on a button on the wall to descend a white board on which his plan for the course was about to be projected. The doors opened another student sped in, cheeks red in great effort after running.

"You're late, mister Ryuzaki. Go sit."

"I'm sorry, professor Takagawa. I won't be late any more."

"Always the same promise, but never held. Don't bother, go sit," the teacher replied under the laughter of other students. Sheepishly, Ryuzaki went to the second front row where Wolfram was sitting. He dropped his stuff and plopped down with relief, on his chair. Wolfram just glanced at him but his look was caught by Ryuzaki who, for a short instant, contemplated him.

"Hi, I'm Ryuzaki," the man said, holding his hand. Wolfram shook his, with uncertainty. "You're new, aren't you?" he asked in a murmur. The green-eyed mazoku nodded.

"My name is Wolfram von Bielefeld. I'm new, yeah."

"Oh, like me. I arrived there only two weeks ago. I was studying in Paris before coming here."

"That's great. I come from Germany. You don't look-"

"Totally Japanese?" he smiled. "My father is Japanese, my mum French."

They would have chatted more if the teacher hadn't started his lesson.

**XXX**

Knock, knock. The quietness of the lesson (teacher was speaking, students copying, Wolfram doing a marathon to note everything he was saying, which was amazing to his neighbouring) came to an end. They lifted their faces from their papers and watched who was coming inside the amphitheatre, by the doors near the platform of the desk. Without raising his eyes from his document, Takagawa ordered to the disruptive element:

"Come in."

To say that stupefaction hit Wolfram and Yuuri would be a sure understatement. Conrad Weller penetrated the place, a soft expression plastered on his handsome features. As expected, the sounds of admiration rose in the air and hormones chaos ensued. No matter where he went, Celi's second son was a champion at winning women's hearts. The elegant half-human-who by the way was dressed as a neat professor who could compete with a model-was spreading continual pheromones.

The classroom filled with many questions about the identity of the newcomer, mainly from female students of course.

Conrad nodded at the crowd of students with a jovial smile, walking up the platform's stairs to share a handshake with Takagawa. They exchanged a few words and Takagawa showed him a chair to sit on, near the desk. As he sat, Conrad's eyes met Yuuri's dumbfounded stare then Wolfram's stunned one. He kept smiling, his expression softening.

"This is Conrad Weller, from Germany. He'll be from now on my assistant and may replace me from time to time. If I need help to divide my work, I may have to share the class in two groups and mister Weller will direct and supervise one group's work."

Hinagashi wanted to be under Conrad's supervision, saying seriously she'd work better with him. Of course, the other women were thinking the same. Men protested while assuring they couldn't be jealous. Kioshi said:

"He looks like Wolfram."

Wolfram and Yuuri looked at him weirdly, before sharing a quick glance with each other. They said nothing. The class continued, barely then interrupted by whispers about Conrad's presence. Conrad aided his colleague before the end of the lesson which arrived way quicker with him. The students stood up from their seats to head to their next classes. Most of them made sure to introduce themselves to Conrad Weller and to wish him a good continuation in their university. Conrad responded with kindness and polite attention.

"This mister Weller seems really nice," Ryuzaki muttered to Wolfram as they threw their notebooks and pens inside their bags. "Plus, he's a German like you. You may get along well."

"I'm...I'm sure that's going to be the case."

"What class do you have now?"

"Phonetics. And you?"

"Oh, history with Mr Mori; he's a great teacher, if you have him, you're going to really like his classes. He's super great at explanations; you quickly understand stuff with him. Moreover from what I've heard, students often get good grades with him."

"Ah, that's good to know, I'm looking forward to it."

Ryuzaki threw his bag over his shoulder, holding it back with a firm hand. He paused, looking at Wolf:

"Well, it's been nice to meet you, Wolf. I hope we'll have more classes together. Ask me anything if you need any help for our homework."

"Thank you. It's nice to know I'm not the only new one," Wolfram replied as a polite answer. Ryuzaki's clear hazel eyes lit up and he winked before going with other students. Wolf raised an eyebrow at that but turned to Yuuri. Yuuri was speaking with Takeshi before focusing on zipping his bag. The king's gestures were non-assured, clumsy and nervous. A light frown was marring his handsome face. He didn't dare to look up towards the platform. Facing Conrad, after such a long absence, made him quite uncomfortable. He remembered, with shame, not having properly apologizing to his godfather for the harsh words he'd told him.

Wolfram finally decided to look at his brother. While talking with Mr Takagawa, the chestnut-haired man kept glancing at his baby brother. They stared at one another. Wolfram felt his tension rising: he and Yuuri had left like thieves, without warning, and in the middle of the night; surely...his half-brother was going to announce some bad news...or make reproach. No, that wasn't Conrad's style.

**XXX**

"Yuuri, Wolfram."

Wolfram looked at him, and his heart beat faster.

Conrad looked intimidating. His suave perfume reached Wolf's nostrils in a familiar and very pleasant way. This scent comforted him. But above all, his brother's features carried a gentle expression of relief. No reproach was shadowing his eyes, and Wolfram internally sighed with contentment. Leaving first Yuuri standing behind Wolfram, Conrad was paying attention to his brother, taking in the glee to see him...If he could, he would embrace his brother and tell him how much he was happy to see him so sane.

"You look nice, Wolfram. I'm happy you look healthy again," Conrad said simply instead, his lips forming a gentle smile.

Wolfram looked down, embarrassed.

Without warning the two other men, he wrapped his arms around Conrad's shoulders and hugged him. Conrad startled at the reaction, before, more appreciative of this rare display of affection, he returned the embrace. As a flow of well-being invaded him, he took into a deep breathe from Wolf's hair, recognizing the specific scent, the unique softness of his curls_...You changed shampoo, Wolf?.._.No, that wasn't important.

"Thank you, Conrad."

Had Conrad not intervened...Wolfram's frown deepened...he couldn't even imagine what would have happened. There would have been no chance to make up with Yuuri and start a relationship with him again if it had not been for his brother begging Yuuri to come back.

"You're doing well?" Conrad asked as they parted.

"Yes, very much," Wolfram answered and his elder could judge by himself: the blond had gained a bit of weight, his complexion had improved, he had no difficulty to walk and well...he was with Yuuri in what appeared to be a stable interaction.

"Yuuri...how are you?"

Yuuri gulped down the lump blocking his throat. He fidgeted. His guilt was trapping him again. And his shame mainly made him want to crawl on the floor. He raised his gaze.

And his eyes met a smiling Conrad, with no grudge, no judgement.

"And you, Conrad?" he didn't answer him.

"Fine, thank you."

"What are you doing here?"

Odd. They both slightly startled at this as if they had a sudden jolt of electricity. The last time Yuuri had asked this to Conrad, it was in very different circumstances. Circumstances where Yuuri had felt more hatred and displeasure than awkwardness.

"I was worried and I also wanted to visit," Conrad said simply after some silence. "In fact everyone thinks and worries about you...Mother, Gwendal, Gunter...Greta, too, of course." Upon hearing the name, the two fiancés felt an immense guilt falling on their heads.

"How is she doing?" they instantly said.

"She's being great, don't worry. As she was the only one to know about Yuuri's plan to reconcile with Wolfram, she's been really hopeful. She misses you even if she doesn't really say it."

"We do, too," Yuuri said. "She has to visit us sometimes."

"Everyone in Shin Makoku sent me to...to see whether everything is all right between the two of you. In fact. Shinou is very much against your engagement now or even any contact between you two; but the Great Sage knows how to soothe his doubts. No, I won't spy on you...I have to make sure, though, that everything goes well, since you want to abdicate, Yuuri. Gwendal is managing the kingdom the best he can if it's what you're thinking about."

"I have no doubt about it."

"How long will you stay here?" Wolfram asked, softly pensive.

"A few weeks. I found a position as a teacher assistant since my English is good enough. Don't worry again, I won't live in the Shibuyas' house, I'll stay in a hotel."

"Come to eat with us tonight," Wolfram suggested and surprise hit the two other men at Wolf's idea.

**XXX**

"Man, I'm so tired!" Yuuri said, falling on his back against the couch. He lazily switched on the huge TV with the remote control. Night had fallen, and the two men savoured the warmth that the house provided them after walking for half an hour in the cold. Yuuri was feeling too exhausted to boil some water for a hot tea. He squeezed his favourite sofa pillow in his arms before thrusting it under his head. He thought about Conrad and his seriousness came back, dawning on him like every time he was worried.

"There is so much homework," Wolfram commented as he sat by the dinner table and browsed his agenda.

"What? You're working?"

"Why not? It's better to start, now, Yuuri. You're going to have your hands full if you delay your homework."

"Wooolf, we came back from a nine-hour day at the uni! Relax a little, jeez."

"...You're only saying that because you feel guilty to see me working while you don't."

"I don't. I'm tired and deserve a break. You do, too, by the way."

Wolfram paused, resting his pen. He thought for a while. Then, he left his chair and walked around the sofa where Yuuri was laying like a heavy slob. Hands on hips, head tilted to the side, he watched Yuuri who was rubbing his eyelids.

"True, you need to rest a little," he sat by Yuuri's side, ruffling his dark hair affectionately. "Today was fun, Yuuri. I really appreciated it. I'd never thought life in uni could be so interesting and enriching. Thank you for guiding me well, today."

"Did you understand everything during classes?"

"No, truth be told. But it doesn't matter; I'll catch up my shortcomings very fast. You know me."

"Very well," Yuuri said with a smile. "You don't always need to begin work as soon as we arrive home. We should take some time to breathe and chill out. Moreover, since you invited Conrad for dinner, we'll have to cook, too. So more extra work, you know," he yawned loudly. "Damn, if I don't drink coffee, I think I'm going to fall asleep here before dinner. Sorry!"

Wolfram smiled wider, framing Yuuri's waist by resting his hands around it. He leaned down to be closer to him. Yuuri considered their current position but another yawn escaped his mouth and he closed his eyes as a light slumber loomed over his conscience.

"Do you want me to prepare some?"

"Mmmh...What about you staying here, too? You're tired, I know it. You made more efforts than any one else. In fact, all our friends were amazed at how much you were writing during classes."

Yuuri opened his eyes, resting his limp arm and hand above his head. Wolfram was so cute. He caressed Wolfram's cheek with his other hand, pulling his bangs behind his ear to see his face better. His other hand, then, slightly traced Wolfram's thigh before dropping again.

Wolfram bit his lower lip, cursing the way his heartbeat quickened. He realized, with distress, that his body reacted more and more to each physical contact Yuuri initiated. And even if he knew that was normal, he also was sure Yuuri wasn't ready for...To make things more comfortable and more light-hearted and humoured, he suddenly rested his head on Yuuri's torso.

"As snug as a bug in a rug, you're better than a pillow...I'll still prepare coffee and a few treats. I can use the toaster or whatever it's called."

Wolfram quickly pulled back so that he wouldn't make Yuuri uncomfortable in a situation they were still testing with a lot of hesitation. In fact he didn't know exactly at which stage their relationship was at the moment, mostly after their date at the restaurant. They still didn't sleep in the same bed and holding hands were the only source of physical contact they allowed each other to have.

His confusion befuddled him again when Yuuri pushed him closer to him, his hand around Wolfram's nape. Their noses touched. Wolfram tried to relax, his hands resting on Yuuri's chest to catch his balance. Yuuri played with his curls, rolled them around his finger, delicately rubbed them as if they were gold.

They said nothing for a while, just looking at each other with some shyness but also with trust. Yuuri wondered why Wolfram was staring at his eyes this way, and what exactly he was searching for in them. His gaze fell on Wolfram's lips, and his nose and his brain seemed to register Wolf's scent even stronger, like a powerful intoxication. Nothing else seemed to matter, at the moment. The TV became just a dull sound that they didn't hear any more.

Wolfram smiled, a frown of uncertainty wrinkling his pale forehead.

"I'll get your coffee, Yuuri," he said softly, his lips wearing a smile...

As he straightened to get away, firm fingers rolled around his wrist, stopping him dead in his track. Wolfram looked at Yuuri, startled.

"Stay." The young king was gazing at him, with something that was making his eyes darker. Wolfram frowned deeper but silently sat down again. Yuuri took into a sitting position, the sofa seat sinking a little under his weight. Never leaving Wolfram's green eyes, he gently moved forward, determination, affection and curiosity gleaming in his own eyes, until-with a delicateness he thought he didn't have- their lips brushed and met...in a feather-like kiss.

Yuuri pulled back, inspiring a long shot of air. He checked Wolf's expression. With tenderness and with the help of his fingers, Yuuri combed back the blond's front curls. Wolfram was astonished, but the slight red tint of his cheeks revealed his true feelings. Never had Yuuri dared to do something like that...Had it really happened? Did Yuuri dare to_ kiss _him? Wolf lowered his face but Yuuri's fingers pushed his chin up, daintily, and Wolfram looked at his fiancé again.

Before he could even comprehend what Yuuri wanted, the black-haired man was kissing him. It was a chaste, shy kiss that he quickly stopped as he raised from the sofa and quietly headed for the back garden, wondering how he could barely restrain himself and mostly...wondering so much about Wolfram. Wolfram watched him leave, his own heart beating so hard it hurt.

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!**

**No profit made from this fanfic.**

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**Thank you a lot to SweetHeaven for your review. Once again, it was really nice to write about the entirety of every chapter. That kind of reminds me of old good times, when the fandom was actually active.**

**Thanks to Fuuka95, too :)**

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**14\. Bonfire**

It was slightly raining in the baseball field. Yuuri plodded towards the centre, coughing with restrained worry. He adjusted, as he was feeling uncomfortable, his hood on top of his skull. He squinted his eyes. She was there, her red car parked not far away from the benches, rain splatting hard on its rooftop. Arms crossed, she didn't see him coming towards her, immediately. Then, startling, she looked at her left and her face lit up.

She smiled, and Yuuri only nodded at her, in acknowledgement. When there was enough distance between them, which still allowed them to hear one another, the young man stopped in his track as she faced him, pulling her damp hair behind her ears.

"Hi Hana."

"Hi Yuuri," she looked nervous like him, and her smile even seemed strained as though she hadn't been able to sleep at night. "H...how are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks...What about you?"

"I'm fine, too, thank you...So, what have you done lately?"

Yuuri shrugged. He looked away.

"The usual things: school, baseball, hanging out a little with the band, and helping Wolfram to adjust to Japan."

"Aw, I see...Is Wolfram loving here? He looked a bit nervous at the party."

Yuuri nodded.

"Why have you called me, Hana?"

Her eyes widened a little, at Yuuri's slight cold tone. He didn't mean it but the fact was...his feelings towards had freshened a lot these last days; he had been thinking hard about what he had done with her, and now that he was taking great measures to build his relationship with Wolfram...his past behaviour disgusted him. However while he had been internally beating himself for the way he had treated Wolfram, his fiancé, he didn't dislike her, nor did he feel insensitive to her own struggles...if she felt remorses, too.

She lost her smile, fidgeting with her fingers, pulling at her long hair, rubbing her upper arms.

"I've broken up with Mikari."

"...I know it."

"Yes, of course, he told you. He's your friend after all."

She swallowed her saliva, checking the ground, before daring to look at Yuuri again.

"It wasn't really easy, Yuuri...I didn't mean to hurt him. I told him I was sorry I...led him on. But I just couldn't do it any more. I couldn't...I couldn't succeed in loving him...the way I...Well, I..."

This new face she was showing of herself, this new sensitivity that she allowed herself to reveal only increased Yuuri's sorrow for her.

"I love you, Yuuri...And I wanted to know if you had any consideration for me." She dared to lock her eyes on his. "I wanted to know if you...had ever felt the same towards me. I can't stop thinking about it, actually."

Yuuri unconsciously stepped back, feeling cornered by her question, his discomfort augmenting as he tore his eyes away from her. He gained back his countenance and said:

"You know, Hana...maybe sometime ago I might have considered being with you. There were instants when I would think of you and me together, like...really together. Dating, playing, having walks by ourselves, holding hands. From all the women I have met in my life, I've always thought you were the perfect one. In more than one occasion, I have been completely enthralled by you. You amazed me. Sometimes, only being next to you, feeling your eyes on me, knowing that you would care about me...I felt like the luckiest man on Earth. I thought I may have started to feel...to feel something for you. I didn't know if this was simple infatuation or..." He shut his mouth, and bit his lips. After a short instant, he went on:

"But you chose my friend...and the way both of us behaved his back was awful. We disrespected Mikari in a way we should never have. I know alcohol messes with a lot of people...But if you really wanted me...You would have chosen me. That night."

Hana's eyes started to show signs of tears. But nothing streamed down as she stepped forward.

"...Yuuri...I wish I didn't do that, with him...I've always known the mistake I made that night...I knew this was a farce... But...I was feeling so bad towards Mikari. From the first second, he wanted to be with me so much, and I just couldn't get myself to tell him it was only one night. I would wake up, he would be there with breakfast, flowers; he would tell me sweet words...He would repeat, always and always, that he loved me...

Truth be told Yuuri. I like him, a lot, but, but," she stuttered, ashamed: "as a friend only...My feelings for him stop here. The instant I saw you, since I got to know you better the day after the night we met, I fell in love with you. I couldn't keep lying to myself any more. No matter how ridiculous it might sound, whenever I was with him, it felt like I was betraying myself and...you."

Yuuri let her words sink in his mind. _I fell in love with you_. He dropped his gaze, inspiring a long short of air quietly.

"Yuuri, please, tell me. Do you love me, too?...Do you think both of us can start something?"

"How can you ask that while my friend is still grieving about your relationship?" He frowned, gulped down his saliva, thinking hard and closing his eyes as he tried to find the best words. "He still loves you. I've known him for years, and never have I seen him like this with a girl until you met. How do you think he's going to feel if I ever dated you? Do you think, regardless of whatever attraction I have felt towards you, that I don't treasure him as a friend?"

Hana didn't know what to answer as shame raised within her. She wrapped her cold arms around her. She sniffed, trying to maintain her composure in front of the only man who had made her knees shake.

"I'm sorry...I had to tell you. At least, you've been honest with me. I hope one day you'll be able to return my feelings...I thought you and I...I don't know what I thought but you're the first man I've loved so much. If I hadn't been with Mikari...Would you have been with me, Yuuri? At least, answer me that."

A silence settled between the pair. It only made Hana's confusion over Yuuri's real feelings towards her more cruel and threatening. Could she hope or had she been wrong all this time?

"I have feelings for someone else, Hana," Yuuri announced calmly. "And...they're the most important person in my life. I've always known that I felt something for them, but it's only lately I've realized I want to be with this person for the rest of my life. I will never betray this person. I'm sorry."

The world opened underneath Hana's feet. Stupefaction hit her hard like tons of brick. She stared at Yuuri, her wide open eyes completely dumbfounded. Her chest started to pump as she was trying to resist the shock. Little by little, tears rolled down her cheeks but she tried not to show the wound Yuuri's words caused within her, no matter how hard it felt.

Yuuri looked down.

He wanted to go home, but he didn't know if he could let her drive, in such a state. She suddenly threw her arms around his neck and stared intensely into his eyes before leaning forward. Without warning, she gave him a kiss. Stunned like he had never been, Yuuri placed his hands on her shoulders to push her away. However, she stopped their kiss before he could do it, and without a word or a look at him, headed for her car, heartbroken.

Yuuri watched her leave.

**XXX**

As he was standing in front of the mirror, the bathroom still fuming from his hot evening bath, Yuuri wiped the trace of lipstick on his mouth with a wet cotton. His gestures were automatic as though belonging to a robot. He pressed the cotton harder on his lips, imitating the strength she had applied when she had kissed him.

The kiss she had given left a deep impression on him, not because he shared her feelings...but because it _was_ a kiss. The only time he really had experienced kissing was when Shinou had possessed Wolfram's body and he had felt his lips on his.

In any case, in both cases, there had been no real love in those poor experiences. Every time, he had been sort of...taken advantage of. No matter how much Wolfram had wanted to experience with Yuuri, the blond had always restrained himself. So Shinou, knowing the limits that Wolfram had imposed on himself not to scare Yuuri, had acted on his own like a brat and gave Yuuri his first kiss. Now Hana, too, had kissed him without knowing whether this was what Yuuri really wanted.

He shook his head. At least, in spite of all the thoughts that were provoking havoc in his head...his mind had found back some sort of peace.

As he refreshed himself more, some knocks on the door brought him back to reality. The door opened and Wolfram was standing by the threshold. They shared a glance as Yuuri looked at his reflection.

"Are you done? Your parents have finished cooking."

"Yeah, I'm coming."

And then, a memory came back to Yuuri. He spun around to face him. Before he could even open his mouth, Wolfram shook his head quickly.

"I know, you don't need to tell me. I've seen it all when you entered the house. Don't apologize, I know you didn't do anything wrong...She did."

Yuuri just stared at him. Wolfram smiled before tilting his head.

"Come on, food is going to get cold."

**XXX**

Bonfires were lightning the sea side in such a surreal way that it gave the students who came to Yuuri's friends' party the impression to float in between two worlds. Yuuri and his team mates had just won a match against another school and now the celebration of their victory could be heard from afar, as if they wanted to spread their triumph.

On tables, Kitamura with the help of others had laid down huge pizzas and soft drinks. People were serving themselves, and after taking pieces too, Yuuri and Wolfram went to seat near Hinagashi and Valérie, on sheets covering the sand. The girls vocally spoke about their project of a road trip along Japan since Valérie, being French, longed to see more of the country.

"...And you, Wolfram, what do you want to visit?"

Wolfram thought for a while, frowning as he rolled his soda can between his hands.

"Mmh... I wanted to visit a ryokan. I've heard Japanese traditional inns were really refined."

They talked some more, as they watched others dancing a bit drunk. They laughed as some people started to do the fools and fight playfully.

"Hey guys," Takeshi said as he waved at them, "come on, we're all doing a sprint running! The first one to arrive at the green boats is the winner! Look we've all put some bills in Laurent's hat; 1000 yens. Who wants to win them?"

"Me!" Kitamura and the girls exclaimed with good humour, raising to their feet with difficulty. They sprang so suddenly, that the boys remained stunned a few seconds before running after them. Wolfram stood up, too, to join the game, rolling up his sleeves. A mazoku never waits behind in competitions. A yank at his hand made him look at Yuuri with surprise, cancelling all his plans of winning the race.

"Yuuri...What...?"

"Let them run...Come here, instead."

He was smiling, his black eyes piercing Wolfram. The blond nodded. He kept silence as Yuuri led him towards a particularly remote bonfire. They contemplated it. Calmness had come back, and the laughters and the noise of their comrades only seemed like a far lulling sound. Their fingers reached, interlaced, and held.

They just remained there, without speaking for a while, only savouring the peacefulness of the moment. Wolfram blinked at the fire, even if he felt no discomfort at its presence. On the contrary, his power awoke in his fingers, like small jolts of electricity.

"What are you thinking about, Yuuri?"

Yuuri smiled at him.

"I'm not thinking...Maybe a little, of Shin Makoku actually. But," he shook his head as he scratched his jet black hair, "I don't want to bother about it tonight."

Wolfram would have been the one to press him about their kingdom, mostly since Conrad's return. Nonetheless, he could see the tranquillity on Yuuri's face, a tranquillity that the king had not displayed for a long time. Wolfram chose to shut his mouth about their country and the matters that his big brother was carrying on his shoulders, nearly all alone, in order to allow Yuuri some peace. By consequence, he nodded compliantly, as Yuuri added:

"I feel sort of rested for the first time in a long time."

"Great. You needed that."

Yuuri didn't answer immediately as he blinked his eyes against the dryness that the near fire elicited.

"Do you know what I need, too?"

"No. Tell me."

Yuuri faced Wolfram and brought his hands to Wolfram's roundish oval visage, cupping it.

Wolfram's heart started to race crazy as he noticed the glint into Yuuri's eyes, and at the sudden change of the situation.

Yuuri leaned forward, his black hair brushing against Wolfram's golden locks and their lips meeting in a deep kiss.

Shyly, even though sensing Wolfram's deep surprise and increasing anxiety, Yuuri opened his mouth, his tongue against the blond's lips until their exchange deepened. Closing his eyes strongly, Wolfram allowed the painful love and lust that he had held back for so long to take over his being. He returned the strength of the kiss with much fervour, his heart pounding madly in his chest.

Time seemed to have stopped as if only the both of them existed, here in this place and hour.

Wrapping his arms around Yuuri's neck, sort of assured that he would not be rejected, he offered him all the love he had within, and making sure that this man was his, and his only. He thought he was about to die of sweetness, overwhelming tenderness when Yuuri returned the embrace, pressing Wolfram against his chest. He felt Yuuri's hands massaging his back before his arms held him in a tight hug.

.

.

Kisses, he had always expected them since that special night. Yet, the words Yuuri said in a murmur, he had never hoped for them...or at least, not so soon.

"Wolfram...I think I really love you. I've never been in love until I knew you."

What Yuuri might have really said to Hana, for the memories still lingered around, this declaration was the only balm to Wolfram's wounded heart.

X

**EDIT 04/22/2016: This story is discontinued. No more chapters. **


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